A Onetime Thing
by Clintasha4evr
Summary: A rumor floating around about Clint and Natasha's relationship forces their true feelings for one another to be revealed and leads them to do something neither of them expected...
1. Rumors

**Just a little two-shot that I thought of. I'm having a bit of writer's block with my current story, Assassin's First Christmas, but desperately need to write ****_something_****. So, this is what I've got. Hope you like it! **

**WARNING: Contains mature, uh… themes, I guess? I guess I should say sexual themes to be accurate. It's not gonna be very descriptive cuz this is my first time writing anything like this. RATED M!**

**Chapter 1-Rumors**

**Clint**

One relaxing day. That was all he wanted. Just one day to himself. He sure as hell deserved it! Fury had had him working nonstop this past month and now he'd finally been given some time off only to have an angry Russian spy pounding on his door at ten in the morning. Clint walked to the door tiredly and opened it. Natasha stormed past him, shoving him aside.

"That stupid bitch!" She yelled loud enough to wake the whole building. He sighed.

"Nice to see you too." Clint mumbled. She glared at him. _"Here we go…"_ He thought to himself.

"Do you have any idea what your girlfriend has been saying?" Natasha fumed.

"_Ex_-girlfriend." He corrected her, knowing she could only be talking about Bobbi. "What'd she do this time?"

"She's telling everyone that we're sleeping together! That that's why you broke up with her in the first place!" She said loudly as she began pacing back and forth. Clint sat down and sighed.

"So?"

"What do you mean '_so_'?" Natasha asked angrily. "You know what will happen if this gets blown out of proportion, right? If Coulson hears about it, or worse, Hill? They'll tell Fury, and you know it!"

"Yea, and then Fury will talk to us and we'll tell him that it's all a part of my ex-girlfriend's plan to get back at me for dumping her." He said reasonably. "And that'll be the end of it."

"Or," she said insistently, "he'll terminate our partnership because he thinks we're too… _involved_ with one another!"

"You really think he's going to believe a stupid rumor with no hard evidence?" Clint asked.

"I don't know, maybe!" Natasha continued to yell, obviously still furious about the whole thing.

"I just think you're getting all worked up over nothing." He told her. "Besides, it's not like this is an uncommon thing for people to assume."

"What?" She said in disbelief as she stopped pacing and turned to face him.

"A lot of people think we're sleeping together." Clint said like it was completely normal. "In fact, the first thing Coulson _and _Fury asked when I first brought you in was if we'd had sex."

"And I'm just now hearing about all this because?" Natasha asked with irritation evident on her face. He just shrugged.

"I thought you knew."

"Well, I didn't." She huffed.

"I figured." Clint said with a chuckle. Natasha sighed and took a seat on the couch next to him.

"I'm sorry." She said apologetically. "I know this was one of your few days off. Didn't mean to ruin it."

"You didn't ruin it." He said softly.

"I just didn't know who else to go to." She continued. "I mean, it's not like I have any other friends to talk to about crazy rumors."

"Does it really sound that crazy?" Clint thought out loud. Natasha looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"What, you mean you and me?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yea, I mean look at us. We're really close and we've been partners for more than six years…" He trailed off.

"You sound like you've thought about this before." She said lightly. When Clint didn't respond she glanced at him to see that his face had gone red. Her small smile immediately disappeared. "Oh my God, you have."

"I…" He began but couldn't think of what to say.

"You've thought about us having sex?" She asked like it was the craziest thing she'd ever heard.

"Yea, maybe a couple of times. But it's not like I fantasize about it or anything." Clint said defensively.

"Oh my God." She said again, placing her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, please!" He exclaimed, irritated by her reaction. "Don't pretend like you've never thought about it either." Natasha's jaw tightened as she quickly looked away from his probing eyes. "That's what I thought."

"Okay, fine. Yes, I've thought about it before, but almost immediately after it comes to mind I realize that it would be…" She trailed off as she tried to think of the right word.

"Be what?" Clint pressed.

"Weird!" She said in exasperation. He sighed heavily and covered his face with his hand. They sat there in silence for a moment, trying to figure out how this conversation had gotten so awkward. "It would be weird," Natasha finally said. "Wouldn't it?"

"I don't know, would it?" He asked, turning to look at her. It was no lie that he'd thought about the two of them hooking up, but he'd never thought it was weird. But that was mostly because he believed he may have underlying feelings for her that hadn't quite surfaced yet. However, he would never tell _he_r that. Not if she was freaking out over the mere idea of them having sex.

"I need a drink." Natasha said in a daze. She got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen where she easily found a bottle of bourbon and poured herself a glass. Clint was quick to join her, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig of the alcohol, not bothering to get a glass.

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this." He said quietly.

"Are you kidding? I just found out that my partner wants to have sex with me!" She exclaimed.

"I never said I wanted to have sex with you!" He yelled.

"Oh, so you don't?" Natasha said like she was offended. Clint dragged his hand over his face and sighed.

"There's no way for me to answer that without you taking it the wrong way." He muttered angrily.

"Then why can't you say that you think it would be weird so we can just forget about it?" She asked loudly.

"Because I don't think it would be that weird!" He replied in a voice that was just as loud. _That _caught her off guard.

"Are you serious?" She asked, her voice dripping with judgment.

"Yes." He answered without looking at her.

"How do you know?" She whispered.

"I don't." He replied. "I haven' exactly had the opportunity to find out." Her eyes widened.

"What are you implying?" Clint shook his head.

"Nothing." He grumbled. Natasha quickly downed her drink and turned to leave.

"I should go." She said uncomfortably. When she tried to brush past him Clint grabbed her arm. Without thinking he swiftly pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her freeze in his arms before slowly leaning into him. She grabbed his face and pulled him closer to her. His hands moved up and down her back causing an involuntary shiver to course through her. After a few moments the both pulled away to catch their breath. Clint reached up and stroked her cheek as her deep green eyes bore into his. As the realization of what had just happened slowly sank in, Natasha's calm, content expression quickly turned to panic.

"Goodbye." She said, quickly working her way out of his arms and rushing towards the door.

"Nat!" He called after her as the door swung shut. She was gone. "Shit!" He exclaimed, slamming his fist on the counter. What had he done? He probably just ruined everything between them all because he thought he _may_ have feelings for her. Scratch that. He _knew_ he had feelings for her now. It didn't matter though. The feelings obviously weren't mutual.

Clint sat back down on the couch, the bottle of bourbon still in his hand. He took another swig of it before setting it on the coffee table. He knew better than to drown his sorrows with alcohol. It never turned out pretty. Besides, he didn't want to dull the memory of that kiss. Something about the way Natasha had felt in his arms was just so… right. He knew he'd felt something for her, but he didn't know it was so strong. All he could think about was her. Her lips, her skin, her eyes, how she held his face when he kissed her. It had all been so perfect, but so painful. Painful because he knew it would probably never happen again.

**Natasha**

Natasha practically ran from Clint's apartment and ended up gasping for breath in the stairwell. Her hands were shaking as she slowly sank down onto one of the steps.

_"He's lost it."_ She thought to herself. _"He's completely lost it."_

What was he thinking!? They couldn't do this! They were partners for crying out loud! It was a well known rule that partners couldn't be intimate with one another. So many great pairs had been split because they had gotten romantically involved. In fact, she and Clint probably had the longest standing partnership in the history of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Now all of that was going to end unless they figured this out.

She rubbed her temples as she tried to convince herself that everything would work itself out if she just left it alone, but she knew it wasn't true. No one can just walk away from something like this and pretend it never happened. She silently cursed him for doing this to them, even though she held half the blame. Maybe, if she hadn't reacted the way she did, they would be laughing about the whole thing like best friends would. But no, she had to go and freak out on him for thinking about sex. After all he was a guy, and she wasn't going to deny that she was attractive. It was all completely natural. So why did she freak out?

Natasha knew the answer to that. It's because it was Clint. The only person she trusted. The only person she'd ever truly cared for. Her best friend. She'd always felt like they had a special connection, but she never thought they'd take it _that_ far. Well, she never thought that until he kissed her.

She suppressed a shiver as she recalled how his strong arms had enveloped her, his hands rubbing up and down her back. How their lips had molded together perfectly like they had been made to do so. How his rough fingers had gently brushed against her cheek. She knew it was wrong but it had felt so right.

Natasha shook her head and silently scolded herself for thinking that. It didn't matter how it felt. It wasn't going to happen, and she didn't want it to.

Or did she?

There was no way she could ignore how much she enjoyed kissing him. She longed to be with him. To let him hold her and tell her that it was supposed to be that way. But that couldn't happen. If anyone ever found out, their jobs would be on the line.

_"Unless it was a onetime thing … If no one ever found out…"_ Natasha thought. Wait, what? Did she really just think that? She sighed and put her head in her hands. This was so fucked up. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't suppress the idea of giving in to her newfound feelings. Would it really be so wrong?

She remained in the stairwell of Clint's building for the rest of the day, arguing with herself on what she should do. She finally decided that she should just pretend to forget about the whole thing. It didn't matter what she wanted. She wasn't going to risk it all just because she now had _feelings_ for her partner. They were assassins. Murderers. People like them don't get to be happy.

Natasha got up off the steps and looked at her watch. It was 7:00pm. She'd been sitting there for nearly nine hours! All that time and she still couldn't come up with a decision she was happy about. She sighed and turned to leave, pausing before walking down the next flight of stairs.

_"People like you don't get to be happy."_ An annoying voice in the back of her head reminded her over and over again. She glanced over her shoulder at the stairs that led to Clint's floor.

_"That sure as hell doesn't mean I can't try!"_ She silently yelled back before turning on her heel and running back up the stairs. Natasha stopped running when she reached Clint's hall but kept a brisk pace. She stopped in front of his door and knocked a couple of times before she could change her mind. After a few moments had passed Clint opened the door. His neutral expression immediately morphed into confusion when he saw her standing there.

"Natasha?" He said questioningly. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't form the words. Clint stepped out into the hall and looked at her more closely. "Are you okay?"

"I…" She began but was unsure of what to say next. He hesitantly reached out and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. His touch was all it took to send her over the edge.

Natasha lunged for him, encircling her arms around his neck and crushing her lips against his. She felt him tense slightly, caught off guard by her forceful surprise attack. He stumbled back into the apartment, pulling her with him. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist and forced their bodies together, eliminating any space between them. Her hands moved up the back of his neck as her fingers snaked their way through his short hair.

Clint freed one of his arms and closed the door before pinning her against it. A soft moan escaped her as his hands found their way up the inside of her shirt. She gasped at the ticklish sensation of his touch against her bare skin. His hands continued to travel up her back until the finally reached her bra strap. That's when Natasha realized what was happening. She quickly pulled her face away from his, breaking their passionate embrace. Clint gave her a puzzled look as she turned her head to avoid looking at him.

"We can't." She breathed, still trying to catch her breath. He reached out and cupped her cheek, turning her head so that she was looking at him.

"Why?" He asked, sounding just as breathless as she was. "Is it because of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Is it about our partnership?"

"You know what will happen if they find out." Natasha whispered.

"So then we won't let them find out." He reasoned.

"Clint…" She tried to argue with him but he silenced her with a soft kiss. Whatever she'd been trying to say melted away from her mind as her arms found their way back around his neck. When they both ran out of air he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"Why can't we, for once, put what w_e_ want before our jobs?" He asked quietly. She considered his words carefully as he craned his head to the side and kissed her neck.

"Just once?" She asked, allowing her eyes to flutter shut.

"If that's what _you_ want." Clint murmured against her skin. Natasha nodded as his lips slowly began moving up towards her face.

"Okay." She finally gave in. She could feel him smile as he trailed kisses along her jaw. When he reached her lips there was a new sense of urgency that hadn't been there before. The kiss quickly became rough as Clint grabbed her waist and gently lifted her off the ground. Natasha wrapped her legs around his torso to help support her weight as he moved away from the door and walked blindly to the couch.

He carefully laid her down on the leather sofa and she pulled him on top of her, not wanting their lips to separate unless it was necessary. Clint held himself above her as their mouths moved together in perfect harmony. Natasha heard a moan emanate from deep in his throat as she ran her hands down his back and began tugging at the ends of his shirt. He got the message and quickly, but unwillingly pulled away from her and yanked the shirt over his head revealing his excellent build. She used the grip she had around his waist to lift her face to his chest and press her lips against his skin. Clint used one of his hands to move between them so he could begin unbuttoning her blouse, but she laid back down and, in one swift movement, tore the shirt open sending buttons everywhere. Satisfied he lowered his face back down to hers and kissed her hard while Natasha slid her arms out of the sleeves.

A few minutes later they had managed to strip away the remnants of each other's clothing until only their undergarments remained. She could tell Clint was hesitant, not wanting to go through with anything until he was positive she'd be comfortable with it. Natasha could feel his hands inching towards her bra but they stopped just short of the strap. She shoved her face into his neck and kissed his damp skin encouragingly until finally he understood.

Once her bra had been tossed aside it was quickly followed by the remaining articles of clothing they'd had on until there was no longer anything separating them. Nothing to keep them apart. And neither of them wanted it any other way.

**Gah, I'm so conflicted about posting this and I don't know why! I guess it's cuz I never thought I'd write this kind of stuff. It's not weird, is it? I mean, c'mon, everyone has thought about them hooking up! I just wrote down how I pictured it happening. Anyways, tell me what you thought! I love getting reviews! Like, seriously, reviews are my favorite! This is a two-shot, so I'll put the next part up whenever I get a chance. It's exam week at school. Bleh. And to those of you who are very patiently waiting for the next chapter of Assassin's First Christmas, know that I am working as hard and fast as I can. It's just that every time I write something it sucks and I want it to be good for you guys since you're all so awesome, so just bear with me! Well, that's all I guess, so until next time…**


	2. The Morning After

**Alright, as usual allow me to apologize for the insane delay! The past couple of weeks have been ridiculously crazy! I got my new schedule for school which came with a crap load of homework. I hate to say it, but because of all this extra work I didn't used to have, I'm afraid updates will be coming a little slow, particularly for this story. I do plan to continue after this chapter, it just may be a month or two. I swore that after I finished this chapter I'd finish the first story I'd been writing and then come back to this one. I need to prioritize here! Anyway, I'm glad everyone liked the first chapter so much and I hope you enjoy this one as well! FOR MATURE READERS ONLY!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters!**

**P.S. Is it bad that I forget to do disclaimers sometimes? I mean, obviously I don't own the characters, so doesn't it go without saying? Is it like, a requirement? If I ever forget to slap it on there in any of my other stories and it bothers you, feel free to let me know!**

**Chapter 2-The Morning After**

**Clint**

Clint's eyes slowly opened to the gray light that was coming through his bedroom window. A small smile touched his lips as he recalled the dream he had last night. Natasha was in it and… well, let's just say things got steamy. In other words, it was probably the best dream he'd ever had.

Rubbing his face tiredly, Clint closed his eyes and rolled onto his side to get a few more hours of sleep before getting up. He was just about to drift into unconsciousness when he felt the bed move slightly. His eyes cracked open and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Natasha's naked figure lying beside him. Clint sat up and clamped his hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying anything. So it hadn't been a dream…

He slowly lay back down so that he was facing Natasha. She looked so peaceful and beautiful that Clint couldn't resist reaching out and brushing a strand of her long, red hair from her face. She stirred at his touch and her eyes sleepily cracked open. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she grabbed his hand to keep it from leaving her cheek.

"Good morning." Clint murmured.

"Morning." Natasha sighed. He scooted closer to her before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her gently. As soon as they broke away from each other she pressed her body against his and placed her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "What time is it?" She asked after a few minutes had passed. Clint released her and rolled over to check the time on his alarm clock.

"6:45." He told her as he rolled back over and gathered her in his arms again. She sighed contently and closed her eyes while Clint slowly began trailing kisses across her jaw and down her neck. An involuntary shiver shook through her body as his lips worked their way down to her shoulder.

"Don't." Natasha whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Why?" He asked between kisses. She pushed away from him and positioned herself so that her back was facing him.

"Because if you do I don't think I'll be able to stop myself." She mumbled. Clint moved closer to her and leaned over so that his lips were almost touching her ear.

"Then don't stop." He whispered before planting a kiss on her temple. Natasha groaned in irritation.

"I can't," she said, "I need to go soon."

"Really?" Clint asked in obvious disappointment. "Why?"

"Well, unlike you I actually have work today." She told him.

"Can't you just go in later?" He wondered as he traced his fingers along her arm.

"No, I have a debriefing for an important new mission." Natasha replied.

"New mission?" He questioned. She nodded.

"Yea, something about Tony Stark."

"What about him?" Clint asked.

"I don't know, that's why I have to go in today and find out." She said. He sighed heavily and buried his face in her neck. This was so unfair! This was probably the only time they'd ever do anything like this together, and she had to leave early.

"When are you leaving?" He mumbled against her skin. He felt her shrug slightly.

"Probably around 8:30." She replied. Clint smiled and kissed her neck persuasively.

"You know it's only 7:00, right?" He murmured.

"Mhm." Natasha answered sleepily. He continued kissing her neck and face while one of his hands travelled down her back and hooked around her thigh.

"You probably won't start getting ready to go until 8:00," Clint stated surely. "Which means we still have one whole hour together."

"So?" She pressed, her breath becoming ragged. He laughed softly.

"So, if this is all going to be a onetime thing, why not enjoy it as much as we can?"

**Natasha**

He had a point. Natasha flipped herself over so that she was facing her partner and forcefully pressed her lips against his. He responded immediately, entangling his fingers in her long, wavy hair. She rolled on top of him and broke away from the kiss so that she could press her lips against his stomach. He moaned as the heat of her mouth met his bare skin and travelled up towards his chest.

Clint's hands roamed her body causing goose-bumps to cover her arms. She sat up on top of him for a moment to collect herself before leaning in to kiss him again, but he impatiently sat up as well, closing distance between them. Their mouth's met with an urgent passion as Natasha snaked her arms around his neck. Clint's hands settled on her hips, guiding them so that they aligned with his. She wrapped her legs around his waist and crushed herself against him, moaning in pleasure when his lips escaped her mouth and made their way down to her breasts.

"Clint…" She gasped, urging him on. However, before he could react, a loud beeping noise emanated from the living room causing both their heads to snap towards the door. "Shit!" Natasha exclaimed as they scrambled off the bed and ran in the direction of the sound, not bothering to cover their naked bodies.

"Is it S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Clint asked as he followed behind her.

"Yes." She replied, running over to the couch to search through the pile of discarded clothes from last night. She quickly found her jeans and pulled her cell phone out of the pocket, checking the caller ID. It was Coulson. "Hello?" She said breathlessly as she stood up.

"Natasha? It's Coulson." Phil answered.

"Hey Coulson, what's up?" She said so Clint would know who she was talking to. He nodded and walked up behind her, leaning his head over her shoulder so he could listen in.

"Are you alright? You sound like you're out of breath." Her handler replied observantly.

"Uh, yea I'm fine." Natasha assured him as she thought of a lie. "I was just… working out." Clint stifled a laugh, earning an elbow to the stomach.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt. I just thought I'd let you know that there are a few new urgent details that need to be discussed about the Stark mission, so Fury and I will be spending today taking them into account." Phil told her. "It's been decided that you should take the day off."

"Okay." She said agreeably, gasping when she felt Clint's arms wrap around her waist as he kissed her neck, a smile on his face. She was guessing he heard that…

"Are you sure you're alright?" Coulson asked after hearing her sudden intake of breath.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Natasha breathed.

"Tasha…" Clint groaned as he buried his face in her neck.

"Uh, Coulson? I really need to get back to my, uh, workout…" She said quickly.

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing." Phil answered in confusion.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" Natasha hung up the phone and flung it onto the couch before turning to face Clint. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard, shoving him backwards until they hit a wall. "Someone's feeling a little impatient today." She scolded when they broke away.

"Are you complaining?" He challenged, raising an eyebrow. She smirked.

"No." Natasha said alluringly.

"Good." Clint said before sweeping her feet out from under her and lifting her off the ground. "Because I am _so_ ready for round two." She gave a small laugh before crushing her lips against his as he carried her back to the bedroom.

**Clint**

**A few hours later…**

Clint woke for the second time that day with Natasha lying next to him. He glanced over at his partner to find her staring at him with hints of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Hey." He mumbled. She curled up next to him and sighed heavily as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hi." She murmured, resting her head on his chest. They laid like that for what felt like forever until finally Natasha sat up and climbed out of bed. "I should go." She said grudgingly.

"Already?" He said in disappointment.

"It's four o'clock, Clint." She laughed as he sat up and pushed himself off the bed. He went over to his dresser and retrieved a pair of boxers, jeans, and a T-shirt. As he slid into his pants, Natasha wandered into the living room and found her clothes from the day before. When he joined her she was wearing only her jeans and bra, her buttonless blouse resting in her hands.

"That doesn't look too good." Clint said, observing her ruined shirt. She gave him a sheepish look.

"Can I borrow a shirt?" She asked.

"Of course." He answered, heading back to his room. He soon returned with one of his T-shirts and tossed it to her.

"Thanks." Natasha said as she slid the shirt over her head. Once she was completely dressed she collected her phone and made her way towards the door. Clint followed close behind, jumping ahead so he could open the door for her like a gentleman. She blushed slightly and thanked him quietly before walking into the hall. He opened his mouth to say something, catching her attention, but he wasn't sure exactly _what_ to say.

"Bye." Natasha said when no words escaped his lips.

"Bye." He finally managed to say. She gave him one last smile before turning down the hall and heading for the stairwell. She'd only made it halfway to the stairs when Clint figured out what he wanted to say.

"Tasha!" He called after her. She quickly turned around to face him, a hopeful look on her face. "You sure you don't want to do this again sometime?" He half expected her to roll her eyes and remind him of their 'onetime thing' deal. However, much to his surprise, she smiled at him before rushing back down the hall, grabbing the collar of his shirt, and pulling his lips to hers. When they broke away from one another Natasha brushed her lips past his ear.

"Мы увидим." She whispered. And with that, the gorgeous red head turned back down the hall and walked through the doors leading to the stairwell. Clint watched her until she was gone before reentering his apartment and closing the door behind him. Natasha's last couple of words stuck in his head, causing a grin to spread across his face. From the little Russian he had picked up from his partner, he was pretty sure he knew what she'd said, and now it was all he could think about.

Two simple words kept repeating themselves over and over…

_"We'll see…"_

**How to pronounce **_**Мы увидим**_**: My uvidim**

**Yaaay! I finally finished this chapter! Like I said, this was supposed to be a two-shot or whatever it's called, but I really want to continue now. So, I will be adding more chapters every once in a while, but probably not for a long time. I have my other story to finish first, so yeeea… Well, what did ya'll think? Too much? I really didn't want to make it terribly smutty cuz that stuff tends to make me uncomfortable when it goes too far. I really enjoy writing this fic, and I can't wait to get back to it! Leave reviews pleeeaaasse! I LOOOOVE THEM! Plus, tommorrow's my birthday, so it'd be a great birthday present! Just saying… Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you decide to keep up with this story! Until next time, peace out!**


	3. Subtlety

**I know, I know, this took forever. Sorry. School sucks, I'm sure a lot of you know that. If anyone out there is still reading this then here ya go and thanks for bearing with me. It's been a hard couple of months. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3-Subtlety**

**Natasha**

Natasha's heart began beating a mile a minute when she saw Clint walk through the front doors of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York base. It was his first day back since his mini vacation, but more importantly it was the first time she'd seen him since they'd… well, you know…

She mentally slapped herself after realizing how nervous she was.

_"Get a grip."_ She thought, shaking her head. _"It's just Clint." _

"Hey." Natasha jumped slightly at the sound of his voice right behind her. She spun around to face him and smacked him on the chest.

"You scared me." She scolded him breathlessly.

"Sorry." He smirked.

They stared intently into each other's eyes until a couple of passing agents began giving them weird looks. Natasha cleared her throat.

"How was your time off?" She asked naturally so the other agents would continue on their way. Clint smirked again.

"Pleasurable." He smiled. Natasha shot him a cold glare. "What?" He threw his hands up innocently.

"Knock it off." She warned before storming towards her on-base quarters to prepare for her mission. She should have known he wouldn't take this seriously.

"Natasha, wait!" She heard him call after her as he followed her down the hall. He finally caught up when they reached her room and followed her inside, closing the door behind them.

"Are you an idiot?" Natasha asked in irritation.

"Okay, what did I do now?" Clint asked.

"Exactly what I knew you'd do." She rubbed her temples in an attempt to prevent her oncoming headache.

"And what's that?" He took a seat on her bed and looked at her expectantly.

"Our partnership is at stake here, Clint. Our reputations. You _need_ to take this seriously." She ranted.

"Take what seriously? The fact that we slept together?"

"Shhhh!" Natasha shushed him even though they were the only two in the room.

"Jesus, Nat. What's your problem?" Clint gave her an exasperated look.

"My problem is that _we_ did a very bad thing. We slept together! Partners aren't supposed to do that!" She sat down next to him and put her head in her hands. There was a long moment of silence.

"Do you regret it?" He finally asked softly.

"What?"

"Do you regret sleeping with me?" Clint stared at her. Natasha opened her mouth but she wasn't sure what to say.

"I… don't…" She stuttered.

"It's a yes or no question, Nat." He said in frustration. She paused.

"No." She finally sighed. "No, I don't." Clint nodded. He almost looked relieved.

"Good." He mumbled. "'Cause that would've made things awkward."

"Things are already awkward." Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes.

Clint chuckled.

"Just try to enjoy the moment, Nat." He shoved himself off the bed and began making his way towards the door.

"I'll see you later." She said quietly before refocusing on her packing. "And please, _please_, try not to be so obvious."

"You got it." Clint grinned. "Oh, and one more thing…"

Natasha turned around to see what he wanted when he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her forcefully. Her first response was to push him away, but then she realized that they were alone in her room with no one watching.

_"Ah, what the hell?" _She thought before wrapping her arms around his neck and melting into him. He ran his hands up and down her back forcing a shiver of pleasure to course through her. When they finally pulled away from each other they were both breathless.

"See, that wasn't awkward was it?" Clint said with a cocky smile.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Get out." She ordered, pushing him towards the door. "And keep your mouth shut."

"Okay, okay, I'm going." He put his hands up in surrender. "Have fun on your mission."

"Yea, right." She muttered. It was going to take a miracle for her to get through the Stark mission.

"Call me when you get back?" Clint said in a hopeful voice.

"Sure." Natasha gave him a small smile as he slipped out of her room.

"Bye." He said again before finally shutting the door.

"Bye." She said back, suddenly wishing that he didn't have to go. Sighing heavily she sat down on her bed and rubbed her temples. "I'm in trouble..."

**Clint**

After he left Natasha's room, Clint immediately began making his way to the shooting range. He needed to clear his head. This whole… friends with benefits thing with his partner was seriously confusing him. It's not like he didn't like the idea, because he was totally cool with it, but it had happened so suddenly and he was still trying to understand it. Not that he'd ever let Natasha know that. She was already stressed as it is.

When he reached the shooting range Clint retrieved his bow from a locked cabinet of weapons only he and Natasha had access to and started shooting. Once he fell in to the familiar motions of drawing back and releasing arrows one after the other, it was like nothing else mattered. This was exactly what he needed…

He had gotten so focused on what he was doing that Clint didn't notice when someone entered the shooting range and walked over to stand behind him.

"Hey Clint." A familiar voice said, causing him to jump.

He spun around and looked at the petite blonde with wide eyes.

_"Oh, shit…"_ He thought to himself. This was the _last_ thing he needed.

"Uh, hey Bobbi…" He stuttered.

"So, I heard something pretty interesting the other day." She said with a sweet smile.

"Okay…" Clint said casually, trying a little too hard to be inconspicuous.

"Well, I'm not one to believe rumors, so I decided to come right to the source."

"Cut the crap, Bobbi. What do you want?" He narrowed his eyes, pretty sure he knew what she was getting at.

"It's just that I heard about you and Natasha…"

"Okay, let me stop you right there." Clint held up his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You and I both know that you're the one who started that rumor."

"Oh please," Bobbi scoffed. "You really think I would stoop to that level?"

"Uh, yes." He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you do? Hurt the people that hurt you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Clint." She laughed. "Believe it or not I've moved on."

"Then why are you trying to make people believe I'm sleeping with my partner?" He asked, trying not to blush.

"I'm not trying to…"

"Oh, stop denying it!" Clint exclaimed in exasperation. "I know you started all this and I suggest you end it before I talk to Coulson."

"Aw, are you gonna tattle on me?" Bobbi said in a baby voice. "That's cute."

"Oh my God." Clint muttered angrily as he put his bow away and stormed past her. He was really starting to remember why he broke up with her in the first place. The manipulative bitch.

"You can't run away from the truth, Clint. I know what's going on between you two!" She called after him once he was half way out the door.

"Dammit woman! What does it matter to you?" He yelled over his shoulder. Without waiting to hear whatever smartass comment she came up with he left the room and ran off down the hall.

That stupid bitch made him want to slam his head into the wall! Why did she have to be so… so awful?

Well, whatever the reason was, one thing was certain: If he and Natasha were going to try and carry on with their secret not-really-a-relationship relationship, Bobbi was going to be a BIG pain in the ass…

**Sorry this chapter wasn't very long. I figure I owed you guys something though since ya'll kept nagging me! I've got a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go so updates are on the way. However, I did something really stupid and posted three different stories, so now I have three stories to keep up with and it's a lot harder than I thought it'd be… but now I have a plan! I decided I'm going to update one story each week, which means the next update for this story will probably be in two weeks. It's a bit of a wait, but you guys understand, right? Well, anyways, I love reviews! They really get me writing, so don't be shy and tell me what you thought!**


	4. Observance

**Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I'm using my time wisely and updating both my stories. This one is first, so I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 4-Observance**

**Natasha**

"So, you're saying he's sick?" Natasha asked as she looked through the file Fury had given her about Tony Stark.

"Yeah, pretty much." Coulson sighed. "And it's serious."

"Okay, so my job is to evaluate him while, at the same time, making sure he doesn't die." She wondered.

"Exactly." Her handler said.

"Alright. Sounds easy enough… Except there's one _tiny_ issue."

"What's that?" Coulson crossed his arms.

"How am I going to get a job at Stark Industries?" She asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." He chuckled. "Stark just upgraded his personal assistant to CEO, which means he'll be looking for a replacement. That's where you come in."

"What's my cover?" Natasha wondered.

Phil handed her another file. When she opened it she found that it contained all the information about her cover, complete with

"You will be portraying Natalie Rushman, a notary from legal. Today, Stark will be signing over his company to Pepper Potts. You're going to bring the transfer papers to his home at 4:00 PM today, so I suggest you go change into some professional attire." Coulson looked at her casual clothes in disapproval. "Wheels up in an hour."

"Yes sir." Natasha got up from her chair and left her handler's office to go change. As she was walking out the door, Clint just so happened to be walking in and he nearly bumped right in to her.

"Barton." She greeted him subtly before brushing past him and continuing down the hall. She didn't want to pause and give him a meaningful 'hello' for fear of him slipping up and giving them away. Plus, Coulson was very observant and Natasha didn't want to give him the chance to pick up on anything. If this was going to work, they had to be careful.

**Clint**

Clint watched as Natasha strode away. All he could do was pray she didn't run into Bobbi before she left for her mission. If she did, things could get ugly _real_ fast…

"Barton." Coulson called him from inside his office. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no sir." With one final glance in Natasha's direction he entered Phil's office and shut the door.

"Are you sure?" His handler stared him down with a scrutinizing look.

"Um, yea." Clint laughed lightly. "I'm pretty sure."

"Uh-huh." Coulson mumbled suspiciously.

Shit, he was on to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clint swallowed nervously.

"It means," Phil sat down at his desk, "that I don't believe you. So, I'm going to ask you once. What's going on?"

"Going on with what?" He wondered in mock confusion.

"Don't play games with me Barton." Coulson warned.

"I'm not playing games, Phil. You're the one who isn't being clear on what he's asking." Clint shot back.

Coulson sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I saw that just now. You and Natasha." He mumbled grudgingly.

Clint swallowed hard.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Phil said knowingly. "The way you looked at her…"

"Okay, you're right. I looked at her. What's wrong with-"

"Is something going on between you two?" Coulson asked suddenly.

"What? No! Nothing's going on." He insisted.

"Don't lie to me, Clint. You know what will happen if you two are-"

"We're not! My God, Phil, you're looking for something that isn't there. Stop over thinking things." And with that, he stormed towards the door and prepared to go find Natasha.

"Barton, wait." Coulson called after him.

He paused.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to look out for you." He told him. "I don't want you to ruin your partnership for a relationship that probably won't work out."

"Well, you don't have anything to worry about." Clint mumbled.

"Okay." Phil sighed. "Was there something you needed from me?"

"You know what, I think I forgot." He said angrily as he left the room.

"Clint, c'mon!" He heard Coulson call after him but he was already halfway down the hall.

He needed to find Natasha.

**Natasha**

As she made her way towards the aircraft hanger, Natasha felt like all her focus was on the Stark mission.

"Natasha!" Clint suddenly came barreling down the hall after her.

Well, it _was_ on the Stark mission…

"Natasha, hold up!" He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"What!" She exclaimed. "What do you want?"

He jumped back, startled by her reaction.

"Jesus, no need to bite my head off."

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I just really have to go."

"I'll walk with you." Clint decided as Natasha started moving again. "There's something you should know."

"Well, whatever it is, can't it _please_ wait until I get back?" She pleaded.

"Sorry, but no." He told her as they entered the aircraft hanger and made their way to Natasha's assigned quinjet.

"Okay," she sighed, "Spit it out."

"Coulson is on to us." He whispered in her ear.

Natasha's eyes went wide.

"What?" She practically yelled. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did something?" Clint countered.

"Because, you're you!" She shot back.

"Wow." He said, obviously hurt. "Thanks."

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Natasha mumbled. "How did this happen?"

"Not sure." Clint replied as they boarded the jet. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up."

"Thanks." She sighed, setting her stuff down. Doubt suddenly began to cloud her mind and she looked at her partner anxiously. "You know, maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"No!" He looked around to make sure no one was watching before taking her face in his hands. "It's fine. Everything's fine."

"Clint…" She continued to protest.

"Please, Nat. We can do this." He begged.

Natasha stared into his desperate, blue eyes and smiled slightly. He would do anything to make it work. She reached up and stroked his cheek gently.

"Alright. If you say so."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Everything will work out fine. I promise."

"You should go. Before Coulson gets here." She warned.

"Okay." Clint released her and turned to walk down the ramp of the quinjet. "I'll see you when you get back."

"See ya." Natasha watched him leave before sitting down to wait for Coulson to arrive.

After a few minutes, her handler finally showed up…along with Bobbi Morse. She clenched her teeth.

"Romanoff." Phil greeted her, taking a seat across from her.

"Natasha, I didn't know _you'd_ been assigned this mission." Bobbi sneered.

"Well, I guess they needed someone who knew what they were doing." She retorted.

The blonde girl's eyes darkened.

"Agent Morse, shouldn't you prep the jet for takeoff?" Coulson suggested.

"Yes sir. Excuse me." Bobbi made her way to the front of the plane and seated herself in the pilot's chair.

"Really?" Natasha leaned forward and whispered. "You had to pick _her_ to pilot?"

"She was the only one available." Phil said apologetically. "Plus, she volunteered."

"Of course she did." She muttered to herself. It was going to be a long flight.

* * *

**A few days later…**

Natasha huffed in irritation as she waited for Tony Stark to arrive in Monaco. He was more than _two hours _late. This was her first official day as the billionaire's personal assistant, and she already didn't like the man. Grabbing a piece of sushi off the tray of a passing waiter, she hungrily snacked on it and leaned against the wall near the entrance of the restaurant. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in the pocket of her dress. She pulled it out and smiled when she read the name on the caller ID.

"Hey." Natasha said happily as she answered the phone.

"Hey." Clint said in response. Even though she couldn't see him, she was pretty sure he was smiling too. "I heard you were in Monaco."

"I am." She told him.

"How is it?" He asked.

"Boring as hell. I'm stuck at some restaurant waiting for Tony Stark." She complained. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to talk to you." Clint confessed.

Natasha could feel her cheeks going red as another smile spread across her face.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Whatever you want to talk about." He replied.

"Well that's no help." She laughed.

"I know." He sighed.

"Is everything alright?" Natasha wondered.

"Yeah, everything's fine, it's just… I can stop thinking about you." He finally told her.

"Clint…" She started to respond when all of the sudden every photographer in the room rushed towards the door. It looked like Tony Stark had finally arrived. "Uh, hey. I need to go. Stark just got here."

"Okay, sure. Do your thing." He said in disappointment.

"I'll call you later." Natasha promised before hanging up the phone and rushing to meet her 'boss.'

"Mr. Stark." She greeted him as he and Pepper Potts entered the restaurant.

"Hello Natalie, you look lovely." He smiled, appraising her outfit.

"Why, thank you very much." She said in an overly sweet voice.

"I'm sorry, that's unprofessional. What's on the agenda?" Stark wondered as he began making his way through the crowd of reporters.

"You have a nine-thirty dinner." Natasha informed him.

"Great, I'll be there at eleven. Is this us?" He gestured to a table in the corner of the restaurant surrounded by windows.

"It _can_ be." She said.

"Make this us." Tony ordered as he and Pepper headed towards the bar.

"Excuse me, sir?" Natasha got the attention of one of the waiters near the table. "I need this corner table for my boss please."

"No. This table taken." The waiter told her in poor English.

"I know that, but, you see my boss is Tony Stark and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to compensate you for your troubles."

The waiter paused and thought for a moment before giving her a small nod in agreement and preparing the table for a few less people. Once the table was ready, Natasha began searching for Stark and Pepper.

She came across Tony first. He appeared to be in an interview with Justin Hammer, which was odd because they _clearly_ hated one another.

"Mr. Stark?" She tapped the billionaire's shoulder. "Your corner table is ready."

"Thank you." He said, almost in relief before following her towards the table.

"I'll go find Ms. Potts." She left him near the table and quickly discovered Pepper at the bar talking with another man.

"Natalie." The strawberry blonde greeted her. "Is there something you need?"

"No, I'm just here to inform you that the table is ready." She nodded in the opposite direction.

"Oh, thank you." Pepper ended her conversation with the man she'd been talking to and made her way to the table. Natasha followed her but immediately froze when the table came into view and Tony Stark wasn't there.

"_Shit."_ She thought as she anxiously looked around in search of the billionaire. This was _not _good…

All of the sudden, Natasha was overcome by a wave of nausea. She leaned against a nearby wall for support as she covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from vomiting.

"Oh God." She mumbled, cursing a little in Russian.

"Natalie?" Pepper called out to her, noticing her distraught state. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She assured her as a burning feeling began to rise in her throat. "Excuse me for a moment." Natasha spun around and half ran to the bathroom, flinging open the door and rushing into the first open stall. She collapsed onto her knees and proceeded to throw up everything in her stomach.

Once she was sure she was done, she stood up and flushed the toilet with a groan of disgust. Where had that come from?

"It must have been the sushi." She concluded as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands and rinse out her mouth. Thankfully, there was a basket of mints next to the paper towels, so she wouldn't have to deal with the taste of vomit for the rest of the evening.

Slightly disgruntled, Natasha fixed her hair and smoothed out her dress before finally leaving the bathroom to figure out where Stark had gone. If he got into any trouble whatsoever Fury was going to _kill _her.

When she reentered the dining area of the restaurant, she was immediately drawn to the large crowd of people surrounding the TV. It looked like the race was about to start. Focusing her gaze on the television, Natasha's eyes grew wide when she saw none other than Tony Stark climbing into one of the race cars. Her mouth fell open.

"Natalie, Natalie!" She heard someone call her name and turned to see Pepper gesturing for her to come over.

"Yes Ms. Potts?" She asked after running over to her.

"Did you know about this?" Pepper pointed to the TV.

"This is the first I've known about it." Natasha replied. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Where's Happy?" She wondered.

"He's outside with the car."

"Get me Happy."

"Right away." Natasha turned on her heel and ran towards the entrance to go find Stark's chauffer. "I'm _so_ screwed!"

**Let me know what you thought! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Missing You

**I was very happy with the response I got from the last chapter! Thank you SOOOOO much for all the favorites/follows/reviews! If you're an author, you know how special they are! So, I decided to put this chapter together, even though I should really be studying for exams, but hey, I love you guys, so happy early summer! Enjoy!**

**Oh! Wait! I almost forgot! I have a personal goal for this story that I can only achieve with YOUR help! I would like to reach 100 reviews and/or follows for A Onetime Thing, so please, please, PLEASE review and favorite/follow! It would mean the world to me! Okay, that's all.**

* * *

**Chapter 5-Missing You**

**Natasha**

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" Fury shouted into the phone, causing Natasha to pull it away from her ear.

"Sir," She tried to reason with him, but the director wasn't listening.

"Your mission is to watch him, Romanoff. To make sure he doesn't get himself _killed_."

"I know." She finally got a word in. "I'm sorry."

"He almost _died_! You know what that tells me? That tells me you're not doing your job." Fury continued to rant. "And if you don't get your act together, then I _will_ remove you from this mission. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Natasha mumbled just before the line disconnected. She closed the phone and tossed it onto the bed of her hotel room in frustration. This sucked!

It wasn't _her_ fault that Tony Stark was a self-destructive maniac that couldn't keep himself out of trouble. It wasn't _her_ fault that that freak with the electrical whips decided to attack him today of all days. And, it wasn't _her_ fault that her stomach decided be temperamental at the most inconvenient of times. She was just as pissed about the day's events as Fury was, so why the hell was he taking all his frustration out on her?

Huffing angrily, Natasha sat down on the bed and grabbed her phone, pushing 1 on her speed dial. She needed someone to talk to.

"Natasha?" Clint answered after the first ring.

"Hey." She sighed.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm guessing you heard." She assumed.

"About Stark? Yeah, everyone heard. Fury's been screaming about it since it happened so it's been kind of hard to ignore." Her partner informed her.

"Great. That's comforting." Natasha muttered.

"What happened?" Clint wondered.

"I literally left him alone for less than a minute so I could go and find Pepper to let her know that their table was ready, and when I got back he was gone." She explained. "Then, before I could go and find him I threw up, so-"

"Wait, you threw up?" He interrupted her. "Was it just the one time? Do you think you're sick? Do you feel better now?" There was a long pause. "HOLY SHIT ARE YOU PREGNANT?"

"Oh my God, Clint, calm down!" Natasha yelled into the phone. "Stop freaking out. I'm fine. I just had a piece of bad sushi or something."

"But… but we didn't really use protection or anything…" Clint stuttered.

"Listen to me. You need to relax or you're going to give yourself a heart attack." She did her best to calm her partner down. "I'm not pregnant. It's impossible."

"What do you mean it's impossible?"

Natasha inhaled deeply.

"A long, long, _long_ time ago, back when I was in the Red Room, they performed a procedure that made me…infertile."

"Oh…" He sounded like he didn't know what to say. "Why would they do that?"

"It was a precaution. They didn't know if I'd end up sleeping with anyone as a way of getting information, so they just wanted to be safe. Especially since sleazy old men who take advantage of young girls tend not to use protection." She told him.

"Sorry." Clint apologized, knowing that dredging up a memory like that probably took its toll on her.

"It's fine." She assured him, not wanting him to worry about her. "How about you tell me about your day?"

"Well, there's not much to tell. I did some target practice, I messed with some of the junior agents, I avoided Bobbi at all cost… Oh, and I did some of that paperwork I was supposed to turn in last month."

"You did paperwork?" Natasha was shocked.

Clint laughed.

"No! Dear God, Nat, you act like you don't know me at all!"

"I should have known." She giggled.

They continued their conversation for nearly two hours until finally Natasha started to get tired.

"Hey, I'm gonna go." She said in an apologetic tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're probably exhausted. Yeah, I'll talk to you whenever." Clint replied, slightly disappointed.

"Okay. Bye." Natasha hung up the phone and placed it on her nightstand. She pushed herself off the bed and went to the bathroom to shower, wishing she could forget today had ever happened.

**Clint**

**A couple days later…**

"Barton!" Fury stuck his head through the door of the training room and called for the archer.

"Sir?" Clint turned his head away from his target to look at the director.

"My office. Now."

"Yes sir." He fired his final arrow into the practice dummy, then put his bow and quiver away before following his boss out of the training room and down the hall to his office. "What's up?"

"You're going to New Mexico." Fury said bluntly.

"Why?"

"Because we've found something there that needs to be watched with a sharp eye, and you're the sharpest eyes we've got. I just sent for Coulson, so he'll be meeting you there along with one of our research teams." He explained.

"What about Romanoff?" Clint asked.

"She's still busy with Stark, but as soon as she's done she'll join you. Any questions?"

He shook his head.

"Good. Get your things together. Wheels up in thirty minutes." Fury nodded to the door, signaling for him to leave.

"Yes sir." Clint left the director's office and made his way back to the training room to retrieve a compound bow to bring with him. He then gathered a few changes of clothes, as well as some toiletries, and began making his way to the aircraft hangar.

Once he found the jet he'd been assigned, he boarded and put his things away before settling into one of the seats and waiting for whomever else was coming with him. After about ten minutes, the jet filled up with a bunch of intellectual looking agents, a few of which Clint recognized from the science department. He assumed this was the research team. As soon as everyone was settled, the jet took off and began gliding towards New Mexico.

Clint closed his eyes and sighed. Man, was he glad to be getting off base. He'd been stuck there for a few weeks now, and he had started to get a little stir-crazy. Even though this whole 'mission' would probably just be him watching a bunch of science freaks geek out over a radioactive rock or something, he could honestly say he didn't mind. He'd never been to New Mexico before, _and_ Natasha would be joining him eventually, so really this assignment wasn't looking as bad as he'd originally thought.

Natasha. Clint smiled at the mere thought of his partner's name. He hadn't seen her since she left for the Stark mission last week, and damn, had he _missed_ her! They'd been on separate missions before, and they'd been apart for a _lot_ longer than one week, but he'd never longed for her company this much.

_"Well, that's what happens when you sleep with your partner."_ Clint thought to himself as his eyelids grew heavy and he slowly allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness.

**Natasha**

**The next day…**

Natasha's eyes fluttered open as the jet hit a bunch of turbulence. She groaned as her stomach grew queasy from the constant movement. This was strange. She'd never gotten motion sickness before, but yet here she was, feeling like her stomach was going to explode. It had been days since she last threw up from the bad sushi she ate, so it couldn't be from that. Maybe it was stress.

After dealing with Tony Stark for an _entire_ week, it was no wonder Natasha wasn't feeling well. The man was insane! He beat up his best friend, got one of his suits stolen, blew up his house, then blew up his Expo!

"Genius my ass." She muttered to herself, grabbing her stomach as the plane jolted again.

"Sorry, Agent Romanoff." One of the pilots turned around in his seat to apologize. "We've happened upon some bad weather, so it may be a bit of a bumpy ride."

Bad weather? In New Mexico? Wasn't the entire state supposed to be a desert? Since when did they have _any_ weather? Hell, why did she even have to come to New Mexico? After this past week, she felt as though she'd earned a few days off. But no, she had to fly all the way across the country because something fell out of the sky. The only positive thing that was coming out of this was that she'd get to see Clint. Granted, they wouldn't exactly get to _do_ anything, but she could at least spend some time with him.

"We'll be touching down in five minutes!" The pilot suddenly informed her. "I'd recommend buckling up."

"Okay." Natasha confirmed that she'd heard him and strapped herself into her seat as the jet began to lose altitude. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably with each bump and jolt, forcing bile to rise in her throat. "Shit!" She exclaimed as she reached for a bag that she'd brought with her, just in case her stomach acted up again. Natasha opened the bag and shoved her face into it, throwing up just as she had a few days ago.

Finally, the jet stopped moving as it touched down in the middle of the dessert. Once Natasha was sure her stomach was empty, she pulled the bag away and wiped her mouth.

"Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?" She moaned, undoing her seatbelt and collecting her things so she could get off the quinjet. "Thanks for the ride." Natasha thanked the pilots before walking down the ramp. Coulson was there waiting for her.

"Romanoff." He greeted her.

"Coulson." She nodded in return. "Care to get me up to speed as to what's going on here?"

"Of course." Phil began leading her towards something that looked like a giant tent. "We set up this makeshift facility around the fallen object. We're not sure what it is, but we're collecting as much data as we can."

"Alright, so why am I here?" She wondered as they entered the 'research facility.'

"You'll be joining Barton in security." He told her.

"And where is Barton?"

"Check over there." Coulson pointed to the left of where they were standing. "I need to go check on a few things." And with that, her handler walked swiftly in the opposite direction, leaving Natasha to go find her partner.

She turned on her heel and headed in the direction Phil had pointed her in and soon came upon what seemed like an interrogation room with a familiar archer guarding it.

Natasha easily snuck up behind him and took in his drenched figure before finally speaking up.

"You're soaked." She said observantly, causing Clint to jump and spin around to face her.

A smile lit up his face as soon as his eyes met hers.

"Yeah, I spent a little time in the rain." He informed her.

"Why?"

"Because of him." He nodded towards the interrogation room.

Natasha stepped up to the window and let out a low whistle when she saw the man that was sitting inside.

"Damn, he's huge." She muttered.

"I know. This crazy son of a bitch came storming through the place just as it started raining. He took out every single guy that came at him just so he could try and lift that thing that's stuck in the ground." Clint said.

"You mean the thing that fell out of the sky?"

"Yep."

"Where is it?"

"Over there." He pointed towards an opening in the tent. "Here, I'll show you."

Clint put a hand on her shoulder and guided her over to where the unidentified object from space was now resting.

"It looks like a hammer." Natasha concluded after taking a good, long look at it.

"That's _exactly_ what I said!" He exclaimed. "But, when I told the guys on the research team, they laughed at me like I was an idiot!"

"Aw, did they hurt your feelings." She asked in a baby voice.

"Shut up." Clint mumbled.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I missed you?" Natasha gazed at her partner meaningfully.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and allowed a smile to replace his pout.

"Yes, it would."

"Okay then. I missed you." She told him quietly.

He looked around casually to make sure no one was watching as he reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I missed you too."

* * *

**Okay, so this was a bit of a slow chapter. I jumped around a lot time wise. Sorry if that was confusing. OMG, I seriously can't wait for the next chapter! There will be soooooo much drama it's not even funny! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Follows/favorites are appreciated as well! Until next time, TTFN!**


	6. Consequences

**Yay! Drama time! This chapter starts a bit slow, but just bear with me. The complications come towards the end. Hope you like it! I tried to make it a bit longer because you all are being so nice! Summer starts next week for me, so updates will be coming a bit more regularly. Trust me, this story is just getting started!**

* * *

**Chapter 6-Consequences **

**Natasha**

"Good morning." Natasha yawned sleepily as she met Coulson at the makeshift research facility.

"Agent Romanoff." He said in return, peeking up from the file he was reading. "You look exhausted."

"Well, it's been a _long_ couple of days." She mumbled.

"Can't say I disagree." Coulson said with raised eyebrows.

As it turned out, that crazy blonde guy that broke into the facility a few days ago was some sort of mystical being. Phil had said he was a god, but Natasha thought that was pushing it a bit… Well, whatever he was, he was gone now, and he took the 'fallen object' with him, so S.H.I.E.L.D. had no reason to stay in New Mexico any longer. Today they were supposed to be packing up and heading back to base, so she'd come in early to help.

"You haven't seen Barton this morning, have you?" Phil interrupted her thoughts.

"No, I thought he was already here." Natasha told him.

"Well, if you see, tell him that I need the two of you to take a car out to the site where the Destroyer appeared as soon as possible." He said.

"The site where the _what_ appeared?" She cocked an eyebrow at her handler.

"We were informed that the giant metal man that attacked us was called the Destroyer." Coulson explained. "I want you and Barton to go out to the site and check for any debris that doesn't look like it belongs and bring it back to be analyzed. Got it?"

"Yes sir." She said obediently before wandering off in search of her partner.

It didn't take long for her to find him. He was hanging out in the weapons truck, restringing his bow.

"Hey." Natasha stuck her head in the back of the truck.

Clint's head snapped up.

"Oh, hey." He mumbled before returning his focus to his bow.

"Coulson is sending us out to go collect some debris." She informed him.

"Where?" He asked.

"Where that giant metal guy appeared. He said he wants us to bring back anything that looks like it doesn't belong so it can be analyzed."

"When do we leave?" Clint set his bow down and met Natasha at the door of the truck.

"As soon as possible."

"Who all is going?"

"Just you and me."

"Oh really?" That caught the archer's attention.

"Don't get any ideas." She warned. "We're working."

"I know, I know." Clint assured her with a naughty glint in his eyes.

"I'm serious, Barton."

"Okay, I get it. We work before we play." He put his hands up in surrender.

"Good. Let's go then. I don't want to be out there all day looking for scraps of metal." She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the truck.

"You seem a little cranky this morning." Clint commented as she dragged him towards the makeshift garage.

She shrugged. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't in the best of moods. The past two weeks had been exhausting! First she had to deal with an arrogant playboy, then a god, and to top it all off, she kept throwing up for no good reason! She didn't feel sick, she wasn't pregnant, but yet she couldn't seem to keep any food down whatsoever. It was frustrating as hell.

"I'm fine." Natasha muttered. She knew she probably should tell Clint about her daily upheavals, but she didn't want him to worry about her. They had more important things to think about, like how they were supposed to go around pretending not to be in a relationship while actually being in a relationship.

"We need a car." Clint told one of the agents that was in the garage once they'd arrived.

"Are you on the list?" The agent asked, checking over a list of people who were allowed to take cars out.

"We should be. Agent Coulson should have signed us up." Natasha informed him.

"Ah, yes. Agents Barton and Romanoff. Here you are." The agent handed them the keys to a silver Mercedes.

"Thanks." Clint grabbed the keys and made his way towards the car with Natasha in tow. He unlocked the door and slid into the driver's seat with ease as she followed suit, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Let's rock and roll." He mumbled, shoving the key into the ignition and pulling out of the garage.

* * *

As they sped through the dessert, Clint cautiously reached over and grabbed Natasha's hand. She watched as his fingers intertwined with hers and smiled a little at the comforting feeling it gave her.

"I think we're almost there." He suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"Good." She replied. "It'd be nice to get this done before the sun is all the way up so we don't roast."

"Should've brought sunscreen." Clint said ruefully.

"That actually wouldn't have been a bad idea." Natasha said seriously, peeking out the window to look at the rising sun.

"We'll just have to work fast, I guess."

"Yep." She muttered.

"Can I ask you something?" Her partner asked.

"Um, sure…"

"How do you want to do…_this_?" Clint lifted their intertwined hands and waved them back and forth.

"What do you mean?" She wondered.

"You know, you and me. How are we going to do this?"

"I thought it was your job to come up with the plan." She accused him.

"Well, I know that you were a little hesitant about going along with _us_ and I just want to make sure that, whatever we do, you're okay with it." He said sweetly.

"As long as you don't come up with something stupid, I'm fine with whatever." Natasha told him.

"Glad to see you have so much faith in me." Clint muttered.

"Hey, is that it?" She pulled her hand out of his and pointed out the windshield towards a pile of debris.

"Yep, that looks like the spot." He pulled up to the collection of mangled, blackened metal and parked the Mercedes right next to it.

"Let's get this over with." She said as she climbed out of the car. "I'll look over here, you look over there."

"Got it." Clint agreed as he slammed his door shut.

Natasha sighed as she began kicking through the rubble in search of anything out of place.

"Why hasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. cleaned this up yet?" She called out to Clint.

"I don't know." He hollered back. "Maybe they wanted us to dig through it first."

"Yea, because _that _makes sense. Send the assassins to do the scientist's work." Natasha complained.

"Quit whining and do what we came here to do." He ordered.

She shot him a glare.

"Don't give me that look. _You're_ the one that didn't want to be out here all day."

Rolling her eyes, she returned her eyes to the ground and continued to look through the piles of debris. She was _so_ not getting paid enough for this…

**Clint**

**A few hours later…**

"How's it going over there?" Clint asked Natasha as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Almost done. You?" She replied, slightly breathless from the heat.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Excellent. Go put what you found in the car. I'll be there in a second." She told him as she kicked through the last bit of rubble.

He did as she said and carried the few scraps of metal he'd collected to the Mercedes, tossing them into the back seat when he got in the car. Natasha soon joined him, throwing her own findings in the back as well.

"Crank up the AC. I'm sweating my insides out." She groaned.

"You got it." Clint stuck the key in the ignition and turned it to start the car… but nothing happened. He turned it again, and again, and again, but still nothing.

"What's wrong?" Natasha asked.

"The car won't start." He muttered as he continued turning the key repeatedly. Finally giving up, he glanced at the gas levels on the dashboard and found that the tank was practically empty. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"What?" His partner shot him a nervous look.

"We're out of gas."

"Are you serious?" She leaned over and checked for herself. "Shit!"

"Do you have your phone?" Clint asked as he realized he had left his own phone on the nightstand of his motel room.

"Yea, here." Natasha reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell, handing it to him.

"I'll call Coulson." He dialed their handler's number and held the phone up to his ear. Phil answered after three rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey Coulson."

"Ah, Barton. How's it going out there?" He asked.

"We just finished looking through everything." Clint informed him.

"You on your way back?"

"Well, we would be if we had any gas." He said in irritation.

"Damnit! Jefferson must have forgotten to fill the cars up last night. Sorry about that. I'll come out and pick you up. I should be about forty-five minutes or so." Phil said quickly.

"Thanks. See you then." Clint hung up the phone and handed it back to Natasha. "We're gonna be stuck here for another forty-five minutes."

"_Great_." She muttered sarcastically.

"Sorry, but there's nothing else we can do. Unless you want to try walking all the way back?"

"Ha. Good one." Natasha scoffed.

"Well then, it looks like we've got a bit of time on our hands." He turned to face his partner. "What do you want to do?"

"First, I want to figure out how to get these windows open before we get heatstroke."

"I'm pretty sure the windows are automated, which means we can't get them down without power."

"Wrong. Ever since that junior agent got locked in one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. cars in the San Diego base garage and suffocated last year they made it so that the windows can be opened manually." She began feeling along the side of the door. "Look for a lever or something."

Clint mimicked her and felt the side of the door until his hand touched a crank.

"Found it." He exclaimed as he began to turn it, causing the window to slide open. Natasha did the same with her window and there was soon a comfortable breeze flowing through the car. "How did you remember that about the San Diego agent?"

"Selective memory." She shrugged.

"Well congrats, you saved us from heatstroke." He said, nudging her shoulder.

"I wouldn't be so sure." She fanned herself with her hand. "I'm not feeling any cooler."

Clint nodded in agreement before pulling off his shirt and using it to dab the sweat off his forehead. He saw Natasha glance at him a couple of times out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

"See something you like?" He teased.

"Maybe..." She replied suggestively.

"You know, nothing's keeping _your _shirt on." Clint reached over and brushed a piece of damp hair out of her eyes.

"I'm not taking my shirt off." Natasha insisted.

"Why not? We're in the middle of nowhere, it's hot, and it's not like it's anything I've never seen before. Go ahead. You'll be doing yourself a favor."

She stared at him with a conflicted look on her face before pulling her shirt over her head to reveal her bra.

"That's the spirit." He said in encouragement.

"I'm only doing this because I'm drowning in my own sweat."

"Of course." Clint agreed.

Natasha sighed and leaned back in her seat, enjoying the light breeze as it brushed over her bare skin. She closed her eyes, not noticing that he was watching her. They sat there for nearly twenty minutes with neither of them speaking; nothing but silence. When she finally opened her eyes again, she caught her partner staring at her.

"What?" Natasha mumbled as a smile played at her lips.

"You're so beautiful." Clint said softly, cupping her cheek in his hand.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as she lightly stroked his arm with the tips of her fingers.

"Does this qualify as 'working?'" He asked.

"What, sitting in a car doing nothing. I'd think not. Why?"

"Just checking." He whispered before leaning over and pressing his lips against hers. She immediately relaxed into him, exhaling through her nose as his free hand made its way to her waist. He slowly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her towards him as she climbed over the middle of the seat and positioned herself in his lap without breaking the kiss.

Clint ran his hands up and down her back causing a shiver to shake through her body. His mouth slowly began to move away from hers as he trailed kisses across her jaw and to her neck. When his teeth nipped at her skin, Natasha gasped and crushed herself against him. He pulled his head back and looked into her eyes intently. She gazed back and smiled at him before leaning in to kiss him again.

The sudden sound of someone clearing their throat caused them both to jump. Clint swallowed hard as he slowly turned his head towards the passenger window and found his handler staring at them.

"Sorry to interrupt." Phil said as he took in the scene before him.

Clint glanced at Natasha and saw the horrified look on her face as she quickly scrambled back over to the passenger seat and put her shirt back on.

"Coulson-"

"Just put your shirt back on and go get in my car." Phil ordered. He opened the passenger door for Natasha and allowed her to get out while Clint slid back into his shirt.

"What about the Mercedes?" He asked quietly.

"Leave it. I'll have someone bring it back when the clean-up team comes out to get rid of this mess." Coulson gestured to the pile of rubble. "Where's the debris you collected?"

"Back seat." Clint told him as he climbed out of the car. Phil retrieved their bags of evidence from the Mercedes then got into the driver's seat of his own car. Natasha had already claimed shotgun, so he was left to sit alone in the back. Once he was in, Coulson started the car and began speeding back towards the research facility. Not a single word was uttered amongst the agents as they drove through the dessert.

_"Boy, are we in for it…_" Clint thought.

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, New York City:**

Clint and Natasha sat side by side in the debriefing room with their heads down as their handler towered over them. They'd been sitting there for at least five minutes and no one had spoken until, finally, Coulson cleared his throat.

"So," He began. "Which one of you wants to tell me how long this has been going on?"

Silence.

"Barton?" Phil stared at the archer, but he didn't make a peep. "Fine then. Romanoff?"

Clint glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye and saw her beginning to crack. That wasn't like her…

"Well?" Coulson pressed.

"A few weeks." She finally whispered.

"Is that so?" Phil took a few steps back before returning his gaze to Clint. "That's interesting. Because I don't believe it was that long ago when I asked if there was anything going on between you two."

"Maybe it's none of your business." He said in irritation, looking his handler right in the eye.

"No, Barton, it _is_ my business!" Coulson suddenly exclaimed. "And _you_ lied to my face!"

"That's because-" Clint began to come up with an excuse but he was cut off.

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" Phil wondered. "I know you two better than anyone. Did you really think this would last? Were you even thinking at all?"

Both agents kept their heads down in defeat. They knew what was coming.

"You know what I have to do now. It's regulation." Coulson sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have to file for the termination of your partnership." And with that, he strode from the room, leaving his two best agents alone together.

"Nat…" Clint said as soon as the door closed.

"Don't call me that." Natasha snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." She stood up angrily and began to pace. "I'm sorry that I allowed myself to believe that this could actually work!"

"It was working!" He said loudly.

"Until we got careless!" She raised her voice as well.

"I don't know why you're so upset."

"Our partnership just _ended_, Clint!" Natasha shouted.

"You think I didn't realize that?" He asked. "I'm just as pissed as you are, obviously, but think about it. Now we don't have to worry about sneaking around, and-"

"Oh, no, no, I'm not doing this anymore." She said definitively. "I'm done."

Clint stared at her with hurt obvious in his eyes.

"So you're just going to walk away from this? From _us_? Just like that?"

"There was never an _us_. What happened was a onetime thing. It was a mistake." Natasha told him.

"So then today, in the car. What was that? Was that a onetime thing too? Or were you just trying to fuck with my head so you could rip my heart out like you do to every other man you come in contact with?"

"Shut. Up." She said through clenched teeth.

"You know what? You're right. We'll just forget this ever happened. What we had obviously didn't mean anything to you, so why the hell should it mean anything to me?" Clint stormed out of the debrief room, leaving Natasha by herself. He was going straight to Fury's office and asking for the next solo mission he could get. He needed to get out of here.

* * *

**How was that for a dramatic chapter? Believe me, this is just the beginning! Please let me know what you thought! I always appreciate reviews/favorites/follows! They make my day!**

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	7. Apologies

**Consider this a treat! I wrote this all in one sitting, so I hope it turned out okay! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7-Apologies **

**Natasha**

A tear trickled down the Russian assassin's cheek as she sat alone in the debrief room. How could Clint say those things to her? Granted, she'd definitely pushed him over the edge, but he was _him_. He was always so understanding about everything. She never thought she'd see the day that he'd snap like that. And it was all her fault…

"I'm such a bitch." Natasha whimpered as she recalled what she'd said to her partner.

_"Ex-partner." _She quickly reminded herself. This was _so_ screwed up. Clint was probably crushed because she'd led him to believe that they could actually work out. She should never have gone along with it. Well, it was over now and Natasha needed her partner back. She needed to go apologize.

Natasha got up from her chair and left the debrief room. She strode down the hall and towards the shooting range, assuming that he'd gone there to clear his head. Poking her head inside the training room, she looked towards the range and was surprised to find that the archer wasn't there. Confused, she moved on towards his quarters, but she didn't find him there either. For the next hour, Natasha searched every place Clint would go, however, it seemed as though he'd disappeared.

"Coulson!" Natasha called out to her handler when she saw him walking down the hall.

Phil glanced her way and immediately turned around to walk the same way he'd just come.

"Coulson, wait!" She ran after him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Look, Natasha, I know what you're going to say…" He began.

"No, it's not what you think." Natasha cut him off. "Have you seen Clint?"

"Yea, he left about fifteen minutes ago." Phil told her.

"What do you mean he left? Where did he go?"

"Uh, I think it was Turkey… no, Egypt."

She gave him a confused look.

"Are you saying he went on a mission?"

"Yea, didn't he tell you?"

"No." Natasha lowered her head. "He didn't tell me."

"Oh, uh…" Coulson said uncomfortably. "Sorry, I should go…" He swiftly walked away leaving her to stand alone in the middle of the hall.

She must have really hurt him if he'd taken another mission without letting her know.

_"Of course you hurt him. That's all you ever do is hurt people." _ Natasha thought to herself. _"That's all you're good for…"_

**Clint**

**2 weeks later…**

Clint could feel himself nodding off as the quinjet carried him back to New York. He'd spent the past two weeks in Cairo, Egypt monitoring potential bombing suspects. He was supposed to be there for another week, but the suspects turned out to be a couple of guys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, he was coming home early, which was good because he needed to talk to Natasha.

While he was in Cairo, Clint had spent most of his time thinking about what had gone down between him and his former partner. And the more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. He'd had no right to say those things to her. She was just scared of her own feelings, and now he'd probably ruined everything between them.

"Agent Barton?" The pilot got his attention. "We'll be touching down in approximately ten minutes."

"Thanks." He mumbled thoughtfully. He was still debating whether or not he should go find Natasha as soon as he got back. Maybe he should give it a little more time…

No, he was just being a coward. It had been two weeks. He couldn't keep running away from her. The sooner he got it over with, the better.

Ten minutes later, the jet touched down on the tarmac and lowered its ramp, allowing Clint to get off. He grabbed his gear and walked off the plane where he immediately met Coulson.

"Have a good mission?" He asked as they began to walk inside.

"Well, if you ignore the fact that it ended up being pointless, then yes, it was excellent."

"I don't need your sass, Barton. You requested this mission."

"I know." Clint said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't tell Romanoff you left." Coulson informed him.

"No, I didn't." He said.

"Will you be telling her of your return?" Phil was starting to pry.

"I don't believe that that's any of your concern." Clint warned him.

"I didn't mean to intrude." His handler mumbled. "Also, I didn't mean to mess things up between the two of you. That was never my intention."

"Forget it. It's in the past now. What's done is done."

"She's training right now." Coulson told him. "In case you were wondering."

"Thanks." Clint sighed. May as well get this over with.

As soon as they reached the training room, Phil turned to him and pat him on the shoulder.

"Good luck." He muttered before wandering off.

Clint took a deep breath and shoved through the doors to find the lonely red-head beating the shit out of a practice dummy. He walked up behind her and waited a few moments before clearing his throat.

**Natasha**

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Natasha to spin around in surprise. There was only one person who could sneak up on her like that.

"Clint." She breathed when she met his gray-blue eyes.

"Hey Natasha." He mumbled guardedly.

"You're back." She said lightly. "How was Cairo?"

"Turned out to be a bust." He informed her as he took a couple of cautious steps closer.

"That blows." Natasha said with a little sympathy.

"Can we talk?" Clint suddenly asked.

"Sure." She agreed.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said to you. It was completely uncalled for and I didn't mean a word of it."

"I'm sorry too." Natasha apologized. "I acted like a bitch."

"No, you reacted the same way anyone else would have." He comforted her. "And I understand if you want to end things."

"Thank you." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But I don't want to end things."

The shocked look on Clint's face was enough to make Natasha smile.

"You're serious?" He asked, just to make sure.

"Yes." She laughed. "I want this."

Without a second's hesitation, he rushed towards her and gathered her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and smiled as she listened to the comforting sound of his heart. She had missed Clint _so_ much the past two weeks, and knowing that she'd hurt him had made things even worse. Natasha had had a lot of time to herself to think about what had happened between them, and she'd realized that whole time they'd been together was the happiest she'd ever been. And that was something she wasn't going to give up.

When Clint pulled away from her, he grabbed her face and kissed her.

"I have to go." He murmured against her lips.

"Where?" She asked in disappointment.

"I still need to debrief and shower and unpack…" He listed off.

"Okay, I understand." Natasha sighed. "Go."

"I'll come find you later, alright?" Clint assured her as he pecked her on the cheek and moved away from her. "Maybe we can-" He stopped mid sentence as he looked over her figure and narrowed his eyes. "Have you gained weight?"

"What?" Natasha was taken aback by the sudden question. She looked down at her body but didn't notice anything different. "Um, no… I-I don't think so."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry. That was really rude." His face went red with embarrassment.

"No, it's fine. Go to your debriefing. I'll see you later." She told him with a reassuring smile before watching him leave the training room.

Once he was gone, Natasha walked over to the nearest mirror and lifted up her shirt to inspect her torso. To anyone else she would have looked the same as she always had, but to her and Clint, she had definitely filled out a bit.

"Weird." She muttered as she dragged her fingers over her stomach. She hadn't changed her diet or anything, so where did the extra poundage come from?

Natasha shook her head and decided to be done with training for the day. She had too much on her mind to finish her work out anyways. However, as she made her way back to her room, Clint's comment on her weight stuck with her. It wasn't because she was offended by it, but because this wasn't the only strange thing that had happened to her in the past couple of weeks.

She was still throwing up at least once a day. Now she'd gained weight. If she didn't know any better, she'd believe that she was pregnant. But, that was impossible, so what the hell was wrong with her?

When she entered her room, Natasha sat down on her bed and tried to figure out what was going on. After five minutes of this, she finally stood up in frustration and began to pace. She wasn't sick. She wasn't pregnant. She wasn't depressed, or diabetic, or anything like that. So what was it?

Huffing angrily, Natasha decided to go to medical so she could get examined. Just before she left, something caught her eye. Her calendar was hanging on her wall with half the month's days crossed out with X's, but that wasn't what interested her. She noticed that the little dots she'd drawn on certain days to mark the duration of her period were already crossed out. The thing was, she hadn't had her period this month, which meant she was two weeks late.

Her heart rate accelerated as a frightening thought crossed her mind. Could it be possible that she was… pregnant?

"No." She said out loud. "It's impossible."

It _was_ impossible, wasn't it?

Glancing towards the bathroom, Natasha decided to end this once and for all. She went in and headed straight for the cabinet, digging through the multiple bottles and tubes until she finally found what she was looking for. Pregnancy tests.

When she first acquired quarters on base, S.H.I.E.L.D. had stocked her room with anything she might need, which is why she possessed the three tests. She decided that she would just take one test to put her mind at ease, so she unboxed the little white stick and held it underneath herself as she sat on the toilet.

Once she was done, she tossed the test in the sink and read on the box that it would probably take about fifteen minutes to get the results. So, she left the bathroom and sat down on her bed, setting a timer on her phone to go off when the test was ready. Those had to be the longest fifteen minutes of her life.

Natasha jumped when the timer finally went off. She took a deep breath and reentered the bathroom to retrieve the test from the sink. When she saw the results, her heart practically stopped. It was positive.

"It's defective." She decided. "It has to be."

Just to be sure, Natasha took the next test as well. After another fifteen minutes she checked it and swallowed hard when it ended up being positive as well.

"This can't be happening…" She muttered as she shakily unboxed the final test.

As she waited for the final test results, a million thoughts flooded her mind. What if she _was_ pregnant? What would she do? She sure as hell couldn't keep it, but would she really be able to bring herself to get an abortion?

The timer on her phone went off, causing her mouth to go dry. She slowly walked back into the bathroom and looked at the final test.

Positive.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she removed the test from the sink and gathered the other two in her hands. Natasha exited the bathroom and tried to make it over to her bed to sit down, but she didn't quite make it. Instead, she collapsed in a heap on the floor as sobs shook through her body. The tests fell from her hand and scattered across the floor. How could this happen?

She didn't know how long she'd been laying their when there was a knock at her door.

"Natasha? It's Coulson, are you in there?" She heard her handler ask.

"Go away!" She ordered in a wobbly voice.

"Natasha, are you alright? C'mon, open up!" He banged on the door some more. "I'm coming in!" She heard him unlock it with his universal key.

The door swung open and Coulson rushed inside.

"Oh my God." He muttered when he took in her distraught state. "Natasha, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him and watched as he noticed the pregnancy tests on the floor.

"What are these?" Phil asked, picking one of them up. "Is this a pregnancy test?"

Natasha covered her face with her hands as a fresh set of tears began to cloud her eyes.

"It's positive." He mumbled. "Holy shit, Natasha… you're pregnant."

* * *

**Oooooooh! This is getting good! I got a lot of crap for leaving you all hanging, so I did some studying early this morning then spent the rest of the day getting this done for you guys! Didn't think I'd finish it to be honest! Well, I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you thought!**

**This story has nearly 70 followers, and I fully expect a review from each of you!**


	8. Goodbyes

**Sorry this took so long. I was stuck on how I should go about this chapter for the LONGEST time. I had two different directions I could have taken and I couldn't decide which one I liked better. I finally decided that this would make for a better story. God, I hope I'm right…**

**Anyways, thank you all for waiting patiently! Please enjoy!**

**Chapter 8-Goodbyes**

**Natasha **

"You're pregnant." Phil muttered again in disbelief.

Natasha lifted her face from her hands and stared at her handler as he examined the pregnancy test. This was _very_ bad…

"Get out." She ordered in a shaky voice.

"How can you be pregnant?" Coulson wondered, completely ignoring what she'd just said.

"I said get out!" Natasha yelled hysterically, jumping up and snatching the pregnancy test out of his hand. She gathered the other two off the floor and tossed them in the waste basket she kept near her bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Her handler asked as she began shoving him towards the door.

"Just leave." She told him. "And don't breathe a word of this to Clint."

"My lips are sealed." Phil assured her. "I figured you'd want to tell him yourself anyways."

Natasha's stern expression faltered, causing Coulson to stare at her anxiously.

"You are going to tell him, right?"

"That's my business." She muttered before opening the door and pointing for him to leave.

Phil gave her one final look if concern before finally complying to her request and exiting her room. As soon as he was gone she shut the door and locked it.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Natasha mumbled over and over again as she began to pace back and forth. "This is bad. This is _really_ bad."

She could feel her heart rate quickening as she became more and more stressed. That couldn't be good for the baby…

Placing a protective hand over her stomach she took a couple of deep breaths and sat down on the bed, hoping she'd be able to think clearly enough to come up with a plan. What _was_ she going to do?

It was obvious that she already cared for the unborn child, so she decided right then and there that an abortion was out of the question. That left her with two options: have the baby and keep it, or have the baby and give it up for adoption. Natasha rubbed her temples in order to avert a migraine as she tried to reach a decision.

If she kept the child, there was no doubt that she a_nd_ Clint would have to sacrifice a lot. They'd have to put their jobs on hold and dedicate most of their lives to raising it. Also, there was a chance that it would put a strain on their relationship (like it wasn't strained enough already).

On the other hand, if she simply had the child and gave it away, Natasha wouldn't have to deal with any of that. She would be able to move on and forget the whole thing ever happened. The only problem was Clint. He would never agree with giving it up. She remembered him telling her stories of when he was a child living in an orphanage, and how if he ever had a child he would always be there for it and give it the love and care that it deserved. He would make an amazing father, but Natasha wouldn't be a good mother.

She would have to give the baby up for adoption, and in order for that to happen Clint couldn't find out about _any_ of this. He couldn't even find out she was pregnant, so she would have to leave before it became obvious. In other words, she should probably leave as soon as possible since he had already noticed her subtle weight gain. And she was going to need help.

* * *

Natasha stood outside of Coulson's office anxiously as she prepared to ask her handler for the world's biggest favor. She had spent the past two hours coming up with a plan to have her baby without Clint finding out and now it was time to put it in action.

Hesitantly, she reached out and knocked on the door a couple of times before opening it and poking her head inside.

"Natasha." Phil said in surprise when he saw her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I need a favor." She told him stepping inside.

"What kind of favor?" Someone, who was _not_ Coulson, asked from the corner of the room.

Natasha froze when she realized that Fury was sitting in a chair next to her handler's desk going over paperwork with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" She wondered apologetically.

"No, we were just finishing up." Phil said. "What do you need?"

She glanced back and forth between Coulson and Fury nervously before inhaling deeply and preparing for the storm that was surely about to come. The director was going to have to find out anyways…

"I need you to send me on a mission that isn't really a mission." She said steadily.

Both men stared at her in confusion.

"You mean like a paid vacation?" Fury laughed at the idea.

"No." Natasha replied. "It's more like a secret unpaid medical leave."

"Secret?" Coulson suddenly sounded appalled. "So you're not telling him?"

"Coulson, I can't." She tried to reason with him.

"Tell who what?" Fury exclaimed. "What the hell is going on here?"

Natasha swallowed hard and turned to face the director. It was now or never.

"Sir," she said, meeting Fury's expectant one-eyed gaze. "I'm pregnant."

The room fell silent for a few moments.

"YOU'RE WHAT!?" He finally exploded. "For the love of GOD Romanoff, you of all people are _pregnant_?"

"I don't know how." She mumbled. "I thought it was impossible."

"I'm going to assume this was Barton's doing." Fury gestured to her stomach.

All Natasha could do was nod.

"Son of a bitch…" The director rubbed his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, for what she wasn't sure.

"So you figured out what you're going to do then?" Coulson finally joined in.

"Yes." Natasha told him. "I have a plan, and I think it will work. That is, if you two are willing to cooperate."

"Well, that depends." Fury sighed. "What's your plan?"

"I will go on a sort of maternity leave for about a year so I can give birth to the baby and have time to recuperate." She began, but was immediately interrupted by the director.

"Hold up. Did you say a _year_?"

"Yes."

"I'm supposed to operate for an entire _year_ without one of my best agents?" He asked in disbelief.

"Think of it like this. You either go a whole year without one of your best agents, or a whole year without both of your best agents." Natasha told him, raising an eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate?" Fury asked.

"I don't want Clint to find out about the baby." She explained. "If he does, then he'll want to spend every waking moment with me to make sure me and the baby are okay. He'll also want to keep it, which definitely can't happen. That's why I need to leave before I start showing."

"And you want us to make it look like we've sent you on a mission so Barton doesn't suspect anything." Coulson finished for her, hints of disapproval evident in his voice.

"It's the best way for me to get through this pregnancy without him finding out." She said reasonably. "I'll give birth, find the baby a good family, then forget the whole thing ever happened."

"Where will you go?" Fury asked curiously.

"I have a friend, that happens to be a doctor, who owes me a favor. She lives in Louisburgh, Ireland, which is extremely remote. I'll be safe there." Natasha explained.

Fury and Coulson sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating everything she had told them. Finally, Fury sighed and gave Natasha a very serious look.

"I will allow you to take your 'medical leave.'" He told her. "You will _not_ be paid during your absence, and Barton will be informed that you have been sent on an urgent, top secret mission for an unknown period of time."

Natasha's heart fluttered in relief.

"Thank you, sir."

"I expect you to be back in this office in exactly one year to receive your next mission. Understood?" Fury said sternly.

"Yes sir." She nodded.

"Inform your friend that you will be arriving in Louisburgh tomorrow. Coulson will fly you there on Quinjet 301. Wheels up in five hours." And with that, Fury left Phil's office and stormed off down the hall, leaving Natasha alone with her handler.

"I can't believe you're doing this to him." Coulson muttered, his voice dripping with accusation.

"Please don't make this situation worse than it already is." She pleaded.

"You're just going to disappear for an entire year, leaving him to wonder whether or not you'll even come back. And to make things worse, you want _me_ to lie to his face!"

"If there was a better way to do this, I would do it. But believe me, in the end, this will be better for everyone. Including the baby." Natasha insisted.

Phil sighed heavily and gave her a tired look.

"You'd better go pack." He told her. "There's not much time for you to prepare for an entire year away."

"Right." She agreed, making her way towards the door. "Oh, and Coulson." She paused and looked over her shoulder at her handler. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He muttered.

Natasha gave him a small smile before walking out the door and down the hall towards her room. She had a _lot_ of packing to do.

**Clint**

**Four and a half hours later…**

"Thank you for your cooperation, Agent Barton." The senior agent that had been doing Clint's debriefing finally finished up.

"No problem." He replied. "Can I go now?"

"Yes you can…"

Before the agent could even finish his sentence, Clint had jumped up out of his seat and rushed from the room. He had been waiting all day to be done with work so he could finally go and see Natasha. It was safe to say that he was a little more than thrilled that she wanted to continue their relationship.

He practically ran down the hallway until he reached Natasha's room and tapped on the door lightly. A few moments after he knocked she opened the door and locked eyes with him. He saw a flash of anxiety cross her face which was immediately replaced by a blank, emotionless expression.

"Hi." She greeted him and allowed him to come inside. He stepped into her room and closed the door behind him while she made her way to the bed.

"Hey." He replied. "Is everything okay?" He turned around to face Natasha and noticed a large suitcase, as well as two other bags, sitting on her bed.

"Um…" She said, trying to figure out what to say. "There's uh, something I need to tell you."

"Are you going somewhere?" Clint asked.

"Yes." She answered.

"Where?"

"I can't say."

"Why not?" He was starting to get nervous.

"Because, it's an urgent, top secret mission that just came up." She informed him.

"Oh. How long will you be gone?" Clint saw a tear trickle down Natasha's cheek and immediately knew the news couldn't be good.

"I don't know." She whimpered. "However long it takes, I guess. It could be up to a year."

"A _year_!" He exclaimed. "You could be gone for an entire _year_!"

"I know it's not fair." She walked over to him and grabbed his face in her hands. "But believe me when I tell you that it's for the best."

"When do you leave?" Clint asked, preparing to be disappointed.

Natasha glanced at the clock on her wall and sighed.

"Fifteen minutes."

He groaned and rested his forehead against hers.

"I don't believe this."

"I know. Just, try to focus on work while I'm gone. The time will fly by, I promise." She said.

"Will I at least be able to call you?" He asked.

"You c_an_, but I won't be allowed to answer." Natasha told him, glancing at the clock again. "I really need to go." She pulled away from him and rushed over to her bed to retrieve her bags.

"I guess this is goodbye then." Clint said sadly.

"Please don't make this harder with a dramatic goodbye." She pleaded as she headed towards the door.

He reached out and grabbed her hand before she left and pulled her to him.

"Clint, don't." Her voice was a soft whisper.

He leaned in and gently pecked her on the lips.

"Goodbye." He whispered.

"Bye." She stroked his face once before gathering her bags and leaving the room.

Clint stood there alone for a few seconds, trying to ignore how wrong that goodbye had felt, but he couldn't shake it. That wasn't how you said goodbye to someone you loved.

Without thinking, he rushed from Natasha's room and took off down the hall after her. He shoved his way through the crowds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents until he finally caught up with her, grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. Before she could react, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her properly.

When his lips met hers, her eyes slid shut and she dropped her bags so she could wrap her arms around his neck. Practically every single agent that had been noisily making their way down the hall stopped where they were and stared at the couple with their mouths hanging open. Clint didn't care, and it looked as though Natasha didn't either.

When they finally pulled away from each other, he held her against his chest in a tight hug.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." She whispered back in a shaky voice.

Clint released her and helped her pick up her bags.

"Stay safe." He said quietly so the staring agents couldn't hear.

"I will." Natasha assured him. With one final longing look into his eyes, she turned on her heel and pushed her way down the hall.

Clint stared after her until he could no longer see her, then quickly rushed away from the prying eyes of the crowd that had gathered around him. Right now, he just wanted to be alone.

**Awww. Poor Clint. Please let me know what you thought! I worked super hard on this, so reviews are DEFINITELY appreciated. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up because I'm currently at the beach with my family, so it really depends if I get any more free time like I did tonight. Well, until next time, TTFN! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Friends and Enemies

**Hello everyone! I have returned from vacation and I'm ready to work! This is going to be a short chapter because I really want to start getting in to the pregnancy! There's going to be a lot of time jumping since a year is a really long time, so I'll probably skip ahead a few weeks or months for each chapter, just so you don't get bored. I'm not going to be focusing on Clint a lot so don't expect to see much of him. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, though! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9-Friends and Enemies**

**Natasha**

When Natasha reached the Quinjet Coulson was already there waiting for her.

"You alright?" He asked when he noticed the wetness in her eyes.

"Just had an unexpected run-in with Clint." She explained as she secured her bags in a storage compartment.

"I still think you should tell him." Phil mumbled.

"Coulson, please. Not now." Natasha pleaded.

He sighed and made his way to the pilot's chair of the Quinjet to begin making preparations to take off. She followed him and plopped down in the copilot's chair, listening as Coulson requested permission for takeoff. As soon as they were ready, the Quinjet lifted into the air and headed towards Ireland.

"So, how exactly do you have friends in Louisburgh?" Coulson wondered.

"Remember a few years back when I was sent on that solo mission to rescue that family of three that was being held hostage by that terrorist Saheed Desai?" She asked.

"I think so…" Phil was trying to remember.

"I stayed in touch with the family." Natasha told him bluntly.

"Why?"

"Well, once I rescued them I spent a fair amount of time with them. Especially the daughter, Maggie. We became friends, wrote letters back and forth. She always says that I should come out and stay with her for a while."

"And you said that she's a doctor?" He continued to question her.

"Yep. Louisburgh is a _very_ small town, which means the hospital is very small as well. It's mostly reserved for serious injuries or illnesses, so if someone has strep throat per say, Maggie and a group of other doctors will make house calls." She explained.

"Does giving birth count as something you can be hospitalized for?"

"I don't know." Natasha said thoughtfully. "I _do_ know that Maggie has delivered babies before, but I'm not sure if that was at the hospital or not."

"Do you think you could give birth without pain killers if that's what it came to?" He asked.

She laughed a little.

"Coulson, I was raised in the Red Room. I have been through some of the worst forms of torture. I think I'll be able to handle a few contractions."

"If you say so." He mumbled with doubt.

There were no more questions after that. The two sat in silence for a good portion of the ride until it was nearly 3:00am.

"You should get some rest." Phil commented when he noticed her eyelids drooping. "I'll wake you when we're there."

"How much longer till we arrive?" She yawned.

"Another three hours." He said.

"You sure you can stay up?"

"I'm fine. Just sleep." Coulson ordered.

Natasha obeyed and closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift into unconsciousness.

**Clint**

Clint lay awake in his bed feeling completely and utterly alone. All he could think about was Natasha. Where was she right now? What was this urgent mission about? When would she come back? A million questions plagued his mind, making sleep impossible.

Frustrated, he sat up in bed and ran his hands through his hair. It was starting to seem like, the closer he and Natasha got to having a real relationship, the more things there were trying to keep them apart. It just wasn't fair.

He glanced at his alarm clock and found that it was almost 5:00am. He'd been awake all night. Figuring that sleep was now a lost cause, Clint swung his legs over the side of the bed and got dressed in a T-shirt and sweat pants. The S.H.I.E.L.D. gym was open 24/7, so that's where he would go. Hopefully he'd be able to think about something other than his old partner after a rigorous workout.

When he walked through the doors of the base a half hour later he went straight to the gym and quickly claimed a treadmill. There was no one else in the facility this early, so he put on some music to drown out the silence. After about twenty minutes, he had quickened his pace to a light jog and was humming to the music. He had finally cleared his mind and was actually enjoying himself when the gym door opened and another agent walked in. Clint glanced up and internally groaned when he recognized the slim blonde that was walking purposefully towards the treadmill beside him.

"Well, aren't you here early." Bobbi said as she stepped onto the treadmill.

Clint ignored her. His good mood had immediately vanished upon her arrival and he didn't need her making it any worse.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say something is bothering you." She commented when he didn't respond. "Is it Natasha?"

"What's it to you?" He muttered.

"You're a rotten liar, Clint." Bobbi said with a dark, but victorious smile. "I heard about your little moment of passion in the hall yesterday. I thought there was nothing going on between you two?"

"Hey Bobbi, I found your nose. It was in my business again." Clint said without looking at her.

"Don't be so immature. I'm only trying to look out for you." She told him.

"Oh, right. My bad. I guess it's just hard to tell when you're acting like a bitch all the time." He said sarcastically.

"Seriously, Clint." Bobbi stopped her treadmill and turned to face him. "They call her the Black Widow for a reason. If you get involved with her, she'll only break your heart."

"How about you let me worry about that." He said, stopping his own treadmill and stepping off.

"Just think about what I said." She advised. "You'll have plenty of time to do so since Natasha will be gone for a _whole_ year."

Clint spun around and gave her a confused look.

"How could you possibly know about that?"

"I have my sources." Bobbi said suspiciously.

Angry and annoyed, Clint turned back around and headed for the door.

"Don't let her break you, Clint." She called after him.

He paused with his hand on the door handle and glanced over his shoulder.

"Keep this up, Bobbi. Keep sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. We'll see who she breaks first." And with that, he stormed from the training room and towards Fury's office to request a mission. He'd do anything to get away from here.

**Natasha**

"Natasha, wake up." Her eyes fluttered open when Coulson nudged her shoulder. "We're here."

"What time is it?" She asked as she sat up.

"It's six o' clock." He replied.

Natasha got up from her seat and headed towards the back of the jet to retrieve her bags.

"Where did we land?" She wondered as Coulson prepared to lower the ramp.

"At a small airport. I had them call you a cab to take you to your friend's house when I requested to land. It should be waiting for you out front." He informed her as she turned to face her handler.

"I guess this is it then." She mumbled as tears began to form in the back of her eyes.

"I guess so." He said.

Natasha smiled a little before rushing forward to hug her handler.

"Thank you." She whispered. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." Phil replied. He pulled away from her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Good luck, Natasha."

She nodded, unable to say anything else without bursting into tears. Coulson helped her gather her bags again before sending her out of the Quinjet and onto the tarmac where a man was waiting to escort her inside.

"Hello m'am!" He said in a heavy Irish accent. "May I help you with your things?"

"Yes, thank you." She said appreciatively, handing him a few of her bags.

As they began walking towards a building on the edge of the tarmac, Natasha heard the engines of the Quinjet come to life. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the jet lift off the ground and fly out of sight.

"Fancy plane ye arrived in." The man assisting her commented. "Ya don't see aircrafts like them around here too often."

"I suppose you don't." She said in response.

Once they reached the building, the man opened the door for her and allowed her to enter before him.

"The cab ye called for should be waiting outside." He nodded towards the front door. "We don't have many cabs 'round here, so they ain't as fancy as yer airplane."

"I'm sure it will do just fine." Natasha walked out the front doors of the small airport and found and old, yellowish cab waiting for her on the curb. She greeted the cab driver before opening the trunk and tossing her bags inside. Her escort placed the bags he was carrying in the trunk as well and slammed it shut.

"Have a nice time in Louisburgh." He said in parting as she climbed into the cab.

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile and waved goodbye as the cab pulled away from the curb and down the road.

"Where ya headed, missy?" The driver asked. Natasha gave him Maggie's address and stared out the window as they drove through Louisburgh. It was a very quaint little town. There were shops and small houses scattered across rolling green hills. It was beautiful.

After about a fifteen minute ride, the cab stopped in front of a little white house. Natasha paid the driver and got out of the cab to retrieve her bags. As soon as she popped the trunk, the sound of a door opening caught her attention and she glanced in the direction of the house to see Maggie standing on the porch.

"Oh. My. GOD!" The young brunette exclaimed. She jumped down the stairs and across the yard, running to hug her old friend.

"Hey Maggie!" Natasha said as she was tackled.

"I can_not_ believe you're actually here!" Maggie said excitedly.

"Well, you got lucky. This wasn't exactly planned." She released her friend and continued to pull her bags from the trunk of the car.

"Oh, right!" The girl smacked her hand to her forehead. "I completely forgot! You're _pregnant_!"

"Yep." Natasha said, placing her hand on her stomach. "It should be six weeks this Sunday."

"That's just wonderful!" Maggie grinned as she began helping Natasha carry her bags inside.

"Yea, it's great." Natasha sighed.

"What, you don't think so?" She said in confusion. "I think pregnancy is a beautiful thing."

"Maybe it is for people that actually want to be parents."

"What do you mean?" Maggie scrunched up her nose as she tried to understand.

"There's something I didn't tell you over the phone." Natasha mumbled. "After I have the baby, I'm giving it up. With my job, there's no way I can take care of it properly, so I think it would be best to give it to someone who could."

"Well," Maggie sighed. "It's your choice. If you think that's best then I can't exactly argue with you. I'm sure I can think of a few couples around here who've always wanted a child."

"That would be perfect." Natasha said gratefully. "Oh, and thank you for everything you're doing for me."

"I owe you my life, Natasha. I would do anything to repay you." Maggie said seriously.

"I know what you mean." Natasha couldn't help but think of the debt she still owed Clint.

"Well, c'mon! Let's go inside. Mum can't wait to see you!" Maggie opened the door for Natasha and allowed her to enter her new home for the next year.

**Not much excitement happening this chapter, I know, but things will surely pick up as Natasha's pregnancy progresses. There's gonna be lots of ooey gooey emotions going around so stay tuned! The next few chapters will be jumping forward a couple of weeks so we can zoom through this pregnancy and get right to the good stuff! Let me know what you think! Favorites/follows/reviews are the best!**

**REVIEW PLEEEEASE!**


	10. Nesting

**Sorry about the delay. This took longer than expected! I'm not gonna waste time with a long author's note, so please enjoy!**

**Chapter 10-Nesting**

**Natasha**

"Natasha! Come and get some breakfast!" Maggie called from downstairs.

"I'll be down in a minute." Natasha hollered back as she stood in front of her mirror with her shirt pulled up. It had been seven weeks since she'd arrived in Louisburgh and her stomach had developed into a small, but obvious bulge.

"Natasha, c'mon! I told Nancy that we'd be stopping by in thirty minutes!" Maggie persisted.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Natasha fixed her shirt so that it was covering her stomach before making her way downstairs.

"I made you one of those protein shakes you like so much." The brunette informed her when she entered the kitchen. "Oh, and there's some fruit on the counter that mum cut this morning."

"Sounds good, thanks." Natasha said as she grabbed the protein shake that was waiting for her on the table and took a sip.

"Today's Sunday, isn't it?" Maggie asked.

"Yep. I'm twelve weeks today." She gestured to her stomach proudly.

"Ooooh! That's so exciting! Twelve weeks is a big deal." The young doctor enthused. "At this point, your baby's reflexes start to develop. It will start clenching its fingers, curling its toes, and its eyes will squeeze shut. If you prod your stomach a bit, then the baby will squirm, not that you can feel it…"

"Maggie." Natasha got her friend's attention. "You're obsessing again."

Maggie's face flushed a light pink.

"Sorry. I'm a doctor, I get excited about these things." She apologized.

Natasha laughed as she continued to drink her shake.

"Quick question. Since your pregnancy is different, considering how unlikely it was for you to conceive, did you want to get an ultrasound?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know, why?"

"Well, our hospital doesn't have an ultrasound machine yet. We've ordered one but no one can get it out here until next spring. The nearest hospital that _does_ have one is three hours away, so I was just wondering how important it was to you." She explained.

Natasha looked down at her baby bump and tenderly ran her fingers over it.

"I'm not sure that six hours there and back is worth it just yet." She mumbled.

"Keep in mind that, if you don't go, there's no way of knowing how the baby is developing or if it's in the wrong position…not to mention you won't know the gender." Maggie listed off.

"We'll see how things go for now." Natasha told her. "And if you, or me, think something is wrong, I'll go and get the ultrasound."

"If you're sure…" Maggie trailed off as she glanced towards the clock. "Good lord, we need to get going!" She grabbed Natasha's arm and dragged her away from the table just as she was finishing her last bit of fruit.

"Where are we going?" Natasha asked as she stumbled behind her.

"That's an excellent question."

Both girls stopped just before they bumped right in to Maggie's mother, Cathleen, who was standing in front of the door.

"Mum, I told you yesterday. We're gonna go see Nancy."

"Uh-huh." The elderly woman narrowed her eyes. "I recommend taking the truck then."

"I was going to." Maggie dangled a set of keys out in front of her.

"Hang on." Natasha held up her hand. "Who is Nancy?"

"Nancy owns a shop in town." Cathleen informed her. "A _baby_ shop."

"Oh no…" Natasha began backing away from both women.

"Oh _yes_!" Maggie exclaimed, grabbing Natasha's arm and pulling her out the door. "We're going baby shopping!"

* * *

"I don't want to go baby shopping." Natasha muttered as they drove into town.

"Well, you have to." Maggie said. "Besides, I've read in a bunch of places that making a nursery is really important for soon-to-be mothers. It's called nesting."

"I'm sure it is very important…for women who are actually _going_ to be mothers!"

"You _are_ going to be a mother." Maggie insisted. "Don't forget that you're going to have to take care of it until we find it another family."

Natasha huffed in irritation.

"Oh, don't get all pouty. This is going to be fun, you'll see."

A few minutes later they pulled into a small parking lot of a store called "Laddies and Lassies."

"Let's go." Maggie smiled as she parked the truck and hopped out. Natasha followed her up to the store's entrance and walked inside.

"Maggie!" A large redheaded woman immediately bombarded them as soon as they entered. "I was expecting you ten minutes ago!"

"Sorry, we were eating breakfast." Maggie explained, gesturing to Natasha. "This is my friend, by the way. The one I told you about."

"Ah, yes. The pregnant one." She concluded, taking in her slightly bulging stomach.

"That's me." Natasha smiled.

"Lovely to meet ya." The woman held out her hand. "I'm Nancy."

"Natasha." She took the woman's hand and shook it.

"Well, feel free to look around. Let me know if you need anything." Nancy headed to the cash register while Maggie and Natasha began wandering around the store.

"Let's go look at cribs first!" Maggie grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the back where different styles of cribs were set up along the wall. "Okay, pick one."

Natasha look up and down the row of cribs, searching for one she liked.

"That one." She pointed to a sturdy dark wooden crib.

"Perfect! It'll look really good with yellow walls." Maggie said thoughtfully.

"Yellow?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, the room we'll be turning the nursery into is yellow."

"Well, what if it's a boy?" She asked.

"Yellow is a gender neutral color, Natasha." Maggie informed her.

"Why does everyone think yellow is gender neutral? I don't know of any little boy with a yellow room."

"It's not like the baby is gonna care!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Okay, whatever. How are we going to get this onto the truck?" Natasha wondered.

"Nancy's son will help load it for us. I'll go tell her this is the one we want. You should go pick out some bedding and clothes and toys." She told her before running back to the front of the store.

When Maggie returned, Natasha had already picked out a couple of onesies and was starting to look at toys.

"I found some blankets." She said, holding up a set of soft, yellow sheets. "Look, they have ducks on them!"

"What do you think of these?" Natasha held up the onesies for Maggie to see.

"Awww! They're adorable!" She squealed. "Did you find any toys?"

"A few. Think this will be enough?" Natasha asked, nodding to the toys in her arms.

"Sure." Maggie shrugged. "If we need more we can always come back."

"Excuse me?" An attractive boy who looked to be about Maggie's age came up to them. "I've loaded your crib."

"Thanks Craig." The brunette said, a hint of red coloring her cheeks.

"Who's that?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow once the boy had gone.

"No one." Maggie replied a little too quickly. "C'mon, let's go pay."

"Way to change the subject." Natasha muttered as they walked to the front of the store to pay for the toys, blankets, and onesies.

"Did ya find everything ya needed?" Nancy asked when they put their things on the counter to be scanned.

"Yes, thank you." Maggie said, helping the larger woman place their purchases in bags. "We'll come back diapers and formula when the baby is ready to be born."

"Alright, then. You two have a nice day now." Nancy waved them goodbye as they walked out the door.

When they got outside there was a large box in the bed of the truck that was undoubtedly the crib Natasha had chosen.

"We should hurry home." Maggie mumbled, glancing at the sky. "Looks like it's gonna rain."

As if to confirm her prediction, a distant grumble of thunder sounded across the sky, causing both girls to hop in the truck and drive as fast as the speed limit permitted back to the house. Just as they were pulling into the driveway, the skies opened up and rain began pouring down. Maggie flew out of the truck and ran over to the side of the house where a blue tarp was folded up on the ground. She grabbed the tarp and ran to the back of the truck to cover the crib.

Natasha climbed out of the truck and ran to the porch to wait for her friend.

"We can't bring it in in this rain." Maggie said when she joined Natasha on the porch. "We'll get it as soon as it stops."

"Alright." Natasha agreed.

"C'mon. Let's go get some lunch."

Smiling at the idea of food, they both shed their soaked jackets and went inside.

* * *

"So, this Craig…" Natasha began as she sipped on a cup of herbal tea. "Who is he?"

"I told you, he's no one." Maggie insisted.

"Like I'm going to believe _that_." She rolled her eyes.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because, you obviously _like_ him." Natasha explained.

"Ugh, don't start." Maggie pleaded, placing her head on the table.

"How about I make you a deal. Last week you were asking about the baby's father, remember?"

"Yes…" Maggie looked at her suspiciously.

"If you tell me about Craig, then I'll tell you about the father." Natasha crossed her arms and smiled, pleased with herself.

"That's not fair!" The younger girl whined.

"Yes it is!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Fine." Maggie groaned. "We went to school together."

"And…"

"And I've kind of had a thing for him since we were in fourth grade."

"But you've never told him this?" Natasha asked sympathetically.

"Oh please." Maggie scoffed. "He doesn't even know I exist."

"I'm sure that's not true." Natasha assured her.

"Whatever." Maggie muttered. "But that's enough about him. We had a deal, so tell me about the father."

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Oh, I can't tell you that…" Natasha said apologetically.

"Why not?"

"It's a security thing. I can't tell you his name, what he looks like, or anything about his job. I _can_ tell you that I met him through work, though."

"Awww!" Maggie squealed.

"Okay, I'm not going to tell you anything else if you're going to keep doing that." Natasha warned.

"Sorry." She said quieter. "So, when you say you met him through work, how do you mean?"

"He saved my life." Natasha said distantly.

Maggie gasped.

"Do _not_ squeal."

The brunette covered her mouth with her hand.

"That's the sweetest thing I've _ever_ heard!" She said through her fingers. "Tell me more!"

"Well, he can be really obnoxious, he can be a loner at times, he knows how to turn any serious situation into a joke…" Natasha trailed off. "But, he's also really sweet. He knows how to make me smile, which is kind of hard to do, and he never gives up on me no matter how stubborn I'm being. He's my best friend."

"Wow." Maggie said softly. "It sounds like you really care about him."

"Yea." Natasha smiled. "I really do."

**Clint**

The ramp of the Quinjet dropped and Clint stepped out onto the tarmac. He had just returned from his second mission in the past seven weeks.

"Welcome back." Coulson, who had been waiting for him to arrive, greeted him as they made their way inside.

"Any excitement happen while I was gone?" He wondered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Coulson said excitedly.

"Are you serious? Something actually happened?"

"Oh yea. And it's _huge_!"

"Well, stop smiling like a school girl and tell me!" Clint exclaimed.

"We found something." Coulson began. "In the Arctic. From a _long_ time ago."

"Really? What?"

"A ship." Phil couldn't stop smiling.

"Like a pirate ship?" Clint was starting to get confused.

"More like an aircraft."

"Holy shit, have we finally found aliens?" He asked excitedly.

"No! You're way off." Coulson laughed at him.

"Please just _tell_ me!" He begged.

"It was a World War II era war ship." Phil finally explained.

"That doesn't sound too exciting…" Clint mumbled in disappointment.

"Oh, it's not." Coulson told him. " What's exciting is what we found inside."

"Which is what?"

"Come with me. I'll show you." Phil grinned and began guiding him through the base's halls. Clint followed him curiously until they finally reached the restricted section of the medical bay, which was usually reserved for quarantines or sick and injured prisoners. Coulson flashed his card key in front of a scanner, causing the heavy metal door to open and allowing them to walk inside. As the door shut behind them, Coulson had only led Clint a little ways down the hall when they came upon a room that was enclosed by glass windows. Inside, a team of three men could be seen crowded around something in the center of the room.

Clint peered inside; trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was the focus of everyone's attention, when something propped up in the corner of the room caught his eye. It appeared to be a large round dish colored red white and blue with a white star in the center.

"No fucking way…" Clint gasped when he realized that he knew what he was looking at. "You found _Captain America_!?"

"Yep." Coulson appeared as though he couldn't stop smiling. "Oh, and here's the clincher. He's still alive."

"Holy shit." Clint muttered as the men crowding around the center of the room moved away to reveal none other than Captain America himself lying on an operating table. "How is this possible?"

"We're not sure. All we know is that he was frozen in ice for nearly seventy years and he doesn't even have frostbite." Phil said in amazement.

"That's insane." Clint mumbled in disbelief.

"Agent Barton, I don't believe you're authorized to be back here." Director Fury was suddenly walking towards them from the opposite end of the hall.

"Uhhh… I was just headed to my debriefing." He explained, nervously backing towards the door.

"Uh-huh." Fury narrowed his lone eye. "I'll see you there."

Clint nodded and shot Coulson a relieved look before turning on his heel and hurrying out of the medical bay. He briskly made his way to Fury's office and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk to wait for the director. He sat there for a few minutes but soon became bored when Fury didn't show up. Desperate for something to do, Clint retrieved his phone from his pocket and turned it on. He scrolled through his gaming apps but none of them seemed to appeal to him. He sighed and stared at his phone, noticing that his eyes kept wandering to the phone icon in the corner of the screen.

_"She's not going to answer."_ Clint told himself as he tapped the phone icon and dialed Natasha's number. _"She said not to call." _He held the phone up to his ear and smiled when his call went straight to her voicemail. It was nice to hear her voice.

"Hey Nat." He said after the tone. "It's me. I know you said not to call, so naturally I called anyways. I just wanted you to know that I miss you. A lot. Things aren't the same without you here." He paused. "You probably aren't even going to hear this, but if you do, there's something I want to tell you. When I told you that I loved you before you left, it was impulsive. I really meant it. So, uh, I love you."

Just then, Fury entered his office. Clint hung up his phone and turned to face him.

"Sorry Barton, but you're going to have to buy me a drink first." The director said with a smirk as he made his way to his desk and sat down.

"Good one, sir." Clint said with a light, embarrassed chuckle.

"Now then, let's get this debriefing underway."

**OMG, I finally finished this chapter! Sorry it took so long. I meant to have it up a lot sooner than this. It's just that we've been having these massive thunderstorms and the power keeps going out, which means no wifi. But, the power is now back on and I can finally update! Yaaay! I promise the next chapter will be up sooner! So, what did ya'll think? Was the ending funny, or was it just weird? Two more reviews and I hit 100, so please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you all for following this too! A 103 followers is a big deal, so thanks for your support! I LOVE YOU ALL!**


	11. Half Way There

**Happy 4****th**** of July! This chapter isn't very long, but I wanted to give you something since it's a holiday! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11-Half Way There**

**Natasha**

"Are you sure I shouldn't be feeling anything by now?" Natasha asked nervously as she rubbed her swollen stomach.

"Yes." Maggie said for the third time. "This is your first pregnancy, which means you may not feel any movement for another two weeks."

"Maybe I should get the ultrasound." Natasha mumbled, still not convinced.

"Oh, just relax already! I'm sure your baby will start kicking any day now." Maggie reassured her as she pulled her friend away from the mirror. "Stop worrying about it and it will happen."

"I just can't help but feel that there's something wrong with it." Natasha sighed.

"You need to get your mind off this." Maggie said thoughtfully. "Oh! I know what will cheer you up!" She jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom. "Be right back!" When she returned she was carrying a small, white shopping bag.

"What's this?" Natasha asked as she took the bag from Maggie's hands.

"It's just something I picked up to celebrate you making it twenty weeks!"

Natasha smiled as she reached into the bag and pulled out a soft, plush duck.

"Thank you, I'll sleep with it every night." She said sarcastically.

"No, it's for the baby!" Maggie laughed. "C'mon, let's go put it in the nursery!" She grabbed Natasha's arm and pulled her off the bed as she skipped out the door. When they got to the nursery, Maggie took the duck and placed it neatly in the crib. "There. Now everything is perfect!"

Natasha nodded in agreement. She had to admit that the nursery had turned out great. The crib was pushed up underneath the room's only window, and the dark wood contrasted nicely with the soft yellow walls. There was a rocking chair in the corner, which Maggie had brought up from the basement, as well as a round, beige carpet that covered most of the wood floor. There wasn't much else in the room, since the baby wouldn't be staying here long, but there was enough, and it looked really nice.

"Oh! I nearly forgot!" Maggie grabbed Natasha by the shoulders, a huge smile on her face.

"What?"

"I talked to Craig today!" She squealed.

"Really? What did he say?" Natasha asked excitedly.

"Well, I was at Nancy's when I saw the duck, and as I was checking out he just came up and started talking to me! At first he was asking about you, wondering how you were and such, but then we started talking about other things and then…" She paused.

"What?" Natasha exclaimed.

"He asked me out for drinks!" Maggie screamed.

"Oh my God!" Natasha pulled her friend in for a hug. "That's great!"

"I still can't believe it!" Maggie was practically jumping up and down. "I didn't think he even noticed me!"

"I told you that wasn't true." Natasha reminded her.

"What is all this hollerin about?" Maggie's mother suddenly appeared in the doorway of the nursery.

"Sorry Mum. I was just telling Natasha that I'm going out with Craig tonight."

"Is that so?" Cathleen raised a white eyebrow. "Well it's about damn time you found yourself a man. Maybe soon we'll be able to use this room for your own babies."

"Mum!" Maggie blushed.

"I want some grandkids!" Her mother exclaimed. "Your father did too, God rest his soul."

"Okay, that's it. Get out." Maggie shoved the elderly woman out of the doorway and closed the door. "Crazy old lady."

"I heard that!" Cathleen yelled from the hall.

"Good!" Maggie yelled back.

"You two are impossible." Natasha laughed as she sat down in the rocking chair.

"So, are you going to help me find something to wear for tonight?" Maggie wondered, leaning against the wall.

"Of course I-" Natasha stopped midsentence and gasped when she felt a slight movement in her stomach.

"Natasha?"

"Sorry, I just-" She gasped again and grabbed her belly. "I think it's moving!"

"Really!?" Maggie exclaimed, rushing over to her friend. "Let me feel!" She placed her hand on Natasha's stomach and waited until there was a light kick.

"That's the most amazing thing I've ever felt." Natasha breathed.

"It _is_ incredible, isn't it?" Maggie laughed.

"Does this mean that everything is developing properly?"

"I think that's a safe assumption." The young doctor inquired.

"Good." Natasha said relieved.

"Now that the baby is kicking, you'll need to pay close attention. You'll start to notice a pattern in the movements, so if there's any irregularity be sure to tell me." Maggie said, probing her stomach.

"God, I wish he could feel this." Natasha whispered as she cradled her bump.

"The father?" Maggie asked quietly.

"Yea." She mumbled.

"I don't understand why you don't just call him!"

"Maggie, I can't…"

"Why not?" She demanded.

"You wouldn't understand." Natasha pushed herself off of the rocking chair and walked back to her room.

"I'm not saying you have to tell him anything, just talk to him!"

"Maggie!" She finally exclaimed. "I'm _not_ calling him, so just let it go."

"Okay." Maggie put her hands up in surrender and began walking away. "Forget I said anything."

Natasha sat down on her bed and sighed. Her eyes wandered over to her nightstand were her phone was sitting in the same place it had been since she'd arrived fourteen weeks ago. Hesitantly, she reached for the phone, turned it on, and was immediately notified that she had one new voicemail…from Clint. For a moment, she debated whether or not she should even listen to it. After all, she was a hormonal pregnant woman. Going against what she knew she _should_ do, Natasha held the phone up to her ear and smiled when she heard the sound of Clint's voice.

_"Hey Nat. It's me. I know you said not to call, so naturally I called anyways. I just wanted you to know that I miss you. A lot. Things aren't the same without you here…You probably aren't even going to hear this, but if you do, there's something I want to tell you. When I told you that I loved you before you left, it wasn't impulsive. I really meant it. So, uh, I love you."_

When the message ended Natasha slowly lowered her phone and wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes_._ God, she missed him so damn much!

"Natasha?" Maggie called softly into her room.

"Yes?" Natasha answered.

"Were you gonna help me pick an outfit?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, yea. I'll be there in a second." Natasha replied, staring at her phone. Her fingers traced over the numbers in Clint's cell number as she tried to talk herself out of what she was about to do.

_"You can't call him. You can't call him."_ She repeated over and over in her head. _"It will only make things harder."_

Before Natasha realized what she was doing she had lifted her phone to her ear and was listening to the sound of ringing. It took about four rings until someone finally picked up.

"Hello?" Clint's voice caused a new set of tears to form in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent him from hearing her shaky breathing. "Hello?"

"Hi." Natasha finally said.

"Natasha is that you?" He asked hopefully.

"Yea," She smiled. "Yea, it's me."

"Oh my God, I thought you wouldn't be able to call!" He exclaimed.

"Well, I got a lucky break."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Natasha assured him. "And you?"

"Fine." Clint told her. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." She whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"When are you coming back."

"It's gonna be a few more months."

"I was afraid you'd say that." He sighed.

"I'm sorry." Natasha apologized.

"It's not your fault. I was just hoping that you'd called to say you were coming home early." He said in disappointment.

"I wish." She mumbled.

"Natasha!" Maggie suddenly called from down the hall.

"Clint, I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Already?"

"I didn't have long. I just needed to hear your voice." She sniffled.

"I love you." Clint said quickly. "You know that, right?"

"Of course I do." Natasha laughed shakily. "I love you too. I mean that."

"I know." He mumbled.

"Natasha?" She could hear Maggie coming towards her room.

"Bye." Without waiting for Clint's response, she hung up the phone and placed it back on the nightstand.

"Hey," Maggie poked her head in her room. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Natasha got to her feet. "I was just about to come."

"Okay." Maggie gave her a small smile and waited for her to follow her back to her room.

* * *

**Once again, Happy 4****th****! Sorry this chapter wasn't terribly long, but I really wanted to update! I'm super excited for the next chapter and I think you all are really gonna like it! It's time to get some excitement back in this story! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews you've been giving me and I will gladly be accepting more, so please review/favorite/follow! Thanks for reading!**


	12. Blessed

**Hello my lovely readers! I'm super excited for this chapter! I'm currently writing this at one in the morning because my brother is snoring like a bear and I can't sleep. I've jumped ahead quite a bit this time, so sorry if that's confusing, but I think you'll like this nonetheless! Please enjoy! **

**P.S. Don't forget to review! The last chapter only got ONE review, and I know you all can do better than that!**

* * *

**Chapter 12-Blessed**

**Natasha**

"Are you sure you're alright with me going out tonight?" Maggie asked nervously as she tried to pick earrings to match her outfit. "I mean, you're nearly thirty-six weeks pregnant and you look like you're ready to pop!"

"I'll be fine." Natasha assured her as she rubbed her massive stomach. "I haven't felt any contractions yet. Besides, it's been a while since you and Craig went out. You should go have fun."

Maggie smiled at her before returning her attention to the outfit she was currently trying on.

"Okay, so what do you think?" She asked, turning all the way around so Natasha could see the full ensemble.

"You look great." She smiled. "What time is Craig coming to pick you up?"

"Eight o' clock." Maggie told her.

"And what time is it now?"

"Four."

Natasha laughed.

"You got ready a little early, don't you think?"

"I was just trying this on." Maggie mumbled before going back into her closet and changing back into the clothes she had been wearing earlier.

"So, where are you and Craig going tonight?" Natasha asked curiously.

"He's taking me dancing!" Maggie said excitedly.

"Dancing? Where are you going dancing?"

"Gary's Pub is having a special dance night tonight. Me, Craig, and a couple of our friends are all going." Maggie told her.

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Natasha said as enthusiastically as she could.

"Yea, I'm really excited." Maggie grinned. "But enough about me. How's the baby doing today?"

"It's really active." She said, grunting slightly as it jabbed her with its foot for the umpteenth time.

"That's good! And active baby is a healthy baby." The young doctor said positively as she felt Natasha's stomach. "Do you have any names picked out?"

"Oh, I wasn't going to name it." Natasha mumbled.

"What!? You _have_ to name it!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Well, I just thought that I could let its new parents name it."

"And what are we supposed to call it until we find it a family? The Baby?"

"Why not?" Natasha shrugged.

"No. You are going to pick out a name." Maggie said definitively before marching over to her bookshelf and pulling out a paperback book. "Here." She handed her the book. "You can use this to help you decide."

"'Baby Names.'" Natasha read the title of the book out loud. "Why do you have this?"

"It was my mum's. She used it to pick my name when I was born." Maggie explained. "It mostly has names of Celtic or Gaelic origin, but there are also some English, French, and German names in there as well."

"Okay." Natasha sighed.

"Oh, don't look so down, Natasha. Try and have fun with it!" She exclaimed, patting her friend's shoulder. "At least it will give you something to do tonight while I'm gone."

"What do you mean gone? Where are you going?" Cathleen, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway, asked.

"Craig is taking me dancing tonight, Mum." Maggie told her.

"Dancing, huh? Well you may want to go a bit early. It's gonna storm later." The elderly woman said.

"What do you mean? The weatherman said there was only a ten percent chance all day."

"I'm telling ya. There's gonna be decent storm tonight." Cathleen insisted.

"Yea, well I've got a weatherman and a Doppler radar. All you've got is an arthritic knee. I'm gonna take a chance here and say that I'm right." Maggie scoffed.

"There's a storm coming, Maggie, believe me. Just wait until tonight." Cathleen muttered as she walked away. "You'll see."

* * *

**Four hours later…**

"It's _pouring_ outside." Natasha said as she stared out at the massive storm that had suddenly popped up.

"Yea, yea, whatever." Maggie mumbled, irritated that her mother had been right. "Can you help me zip this?"

"Sure." Natasha waddled over to where her friend was standing in front of her mirror and zipped up her dress.

"Thanks." She said, appraising her outfit in the mirror.

"Maggie!" Cathleen called from downstairs. "Craig just pulled in!"

"I'll be down in a moment!" Maggie called back. "Could you please go down and keep him busy until I'm done getting ready?"

"No problem." Natasha said agreeably. She made her way out of Maggie's room and downstairs just as Craig stepped through the door.

"Whew, it's really stormin' out there!" He exclaimed.

"Just like I said it would." Cathleen muttered.

"Oh, wow Natasha, look at you!" Craig gasped when his eyes glazed over her enlarged stomach. "It looks like we could pop ya with a needle! How much longer do ya have?"

"It could be any day now." Natasha told him, gasping as a sharp pain shot through her stomach.

"You alright?" Craig asked with concern.

"I'm fine." She assured him, brushing off the pain. "It was just a big kick."

"I'm ready!" Maggie exclaimed as she ran down the stairs.

"Wow, you look great." Craig said, pecking his date on the cheek when she reached the door.

"Thank you." She blushed slightly before turning to Natasha. "You. If you feel _anything_-even the slightest contraction-you call me right away. Got it?"

"Got it." Natasha laughed. "Now _go_. Have fun!"

"I'll be back by eleven." Maggie said as she waved goodbye and followed Craig out the door.

"Well, dear, it looks like it's just you and me." Cathleen said as she shut the door. "I've got some tea made, would you like some?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." Natasha said thankfully. As she followed the older woman into the kitchen, another sharp pain hit her.

"So, have you looked through that baby name book any?" Cathleen asked, distracting her from the strange sensation in her stomach.

"Yea, I skimmed over it." She replied, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Any names stick out?"

"A couple." Natasha blew on her tea and took a sip.

"I hope you picked out names for a boy _or_ a girl." Cathleen muttered. "You may end up with either."

"Don't worry, I did." Natasha laughed. "And honestly, I think they're pretty good."

"I'll be the judge of that." The elderly woman smiled. "Let's hear em'."

"Okay, for a girl, I was thinking-" She suddenly gasped as yet another sharp pain erupted from her stomach.

"Natasha, dear, are you alright?" Cathleen asked worriedly.

"No." Natasha muttered. "Not now."

"What's wrong, hon?"

Natasha was about to tell her that she might be going into labor when a sudden gush of fluid soaked her pants.

"My water just broke!" She exclaimed. "Oh my _God_ my w_ater_ just broke!"

"Ah, shit." Cathleen said calmly.

"What should I do?" Natasha asked in a panicky voice.

"The first thing ya need to do is _calm down_!" She ordered.

Natasha took a couple of deep breaths as she tried to come to terms with what was going on. This was it. She was in labor. The baby was coming.

"Now, I want you to go upstairs and change your pants while I call Maggie. As soon as she gets home we'll take you to the hospital." Cathleen said with authority.

"Okay." Natasha gasped again as the pain of another contraction overcame her. Holding her stomach, she carefully began making her way out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. As she was walking down the hall, the front door suddenly flew open and Maggie and Craig stepped inside. Cathleen ran out of the kitchen with a phone in her hand and stared at her daughter in relief.

"Thank goodness you're here! I was just about to call you!" She exclaimed.

"Why? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Maggie asked anxiously.

"Natasha's in labor." Cathleen told her.

"What? Really?" The brunette said, a look of excitement in her eyes.

"Yes, really! Now get back in the car, we need to get her to the hospital." The old woman said.

"Uh…" Craig scratched his head nervously. "We're not going to be able to get her to the hospital."

"What!?" Natasha exclaimed as another contraction hit.

"He's right. There are trees and power lines down everywhere. The road into town is blocked." Maggie said. "She'll have to have the baby here."

"Oh, no, no, no, I am going to the hospital." Natasha insisted.

"Natasha, you can't. There's no way to get there." Craig assured her.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to keep this baby in here until there _is_ a way." She said stubbornly.

"Craig, help me get her upstairs." Maggie told her boyfriend. "Mum, could you go in the closet and get my medical bag? It should have everything we need for a home birth."

"Anything else I should get?" Cathleen asked.

"Oh, get some ice in a cup and bring it. She's gonna need it."

Without another word, Cathleen went off to get the medical bag and ice while Maggie and Craig helped Natasha up the stairs and into her room.

"Help her into the bed. I'm going to go get some towels." Maggie said before running off to the linen closet.

"This is insane." Natasha breathed as she sat down on her bed.

"Don't you worry, Natasha. Everything is going to be fine." Craig said reassuringly.

Maggie quickly returned with the towels, placing a decent sized stack of them on the dresser and tossing a small washcloth onto the nightstand.

"What's that one for?" Natasha asked.

"Oh, it's for you to bite on when the time comes. Wouldn't want you breaking your teeth." Maggie laughed.

"Great." Natasha sighed.

"Here, I've got the ice and the medical bag." Cathleen said when she entered the room. She handed the ice to Craig who then handed it to Natasha.

"Give me the bag." Maggie ordered. Her mother handed her the medical bag and the young doctor opened it, pulling out various things they might need.

"What do we do now?" Craig asked.

"We wait." Maggie said simply.

"For how long?" Natasha asked.

"However long it takes. You're going to need to be ten centimeters dilated before you can pop that sucker out, and that's going to take hours considering that you just went into labor." Maggie explained. "So, if I were you three, I'd get comfortable."

Natasha laughed a little and glanced at Craig, who was settling into a wooden chair in the corner of the room.

"How's this for a date night?" She asked.

"Not exactly what I expected." He replied sheepishly.

They both laughed a little more before settling in for the undoubtedly long night ahead.

* * *

"Holy shit!" Natasha exclaimed as an exceptionally strong contraction shot through her. She had gone from early labor to active labor over the course of the night with Maggie checking her dilation regularly. Now she was in the stage of labor called transition, which meant that it was almost time for the baby to be born.

"Natasha, how ya doing?" Maggie asked tiredly. She, Craig, and Cathleen had stayed up all night in anticipation and now the time had finally come.

"I think it's time." Natasha said breathlessly.

Maggie lifted the sheets at the foot of the bed to check her dilation.

"I think you're right." She smiled.

"What should we do?" Craig asked, gesturing to himself and Cathleen.

"Mum, you stand next to me with a towel. Be ready for when the baby comes out. Craig, put that wash cloth in her mouth and hold her hand." Maggie ordered. Cathleen grabbed a towel and stood by her daughter while Craig moved to Natasha's side, putting the folded cloth in her mouth and taking her hand in his. "You ready Natasha?"

She nodded.

"Alright, on the count of three, I want you to push. One…two…three!"

Natasha pushed with all her might, groaning in pain as she felt the baby start to come out.

"Good, good! I can see its head!" Maggie said excitedly. "Keep pushing!"

The Russian did as her friend said and continued to push until she felt fatigue begin to settle in.

"C'mon, Natasha, you're almost there, you have to keep going!" Maggie exclaimed.

"I…can't…" Natasha said weakly as she gasped for air.

"Yes you can! One more push, that's all you need!"

Biting down hard on the wash cloth, Natasha squeezed her eyes shut and cried out in pain as she gave one final push and felt the baby leave her body. She spit the cloth out of her mouth and leaned back against her pillow in exhaustion. She did it. It was over.

Suddenly, the shrill cries of a newborn infant filled the room and Maggie squealed in delight.

"Oh, Natasha! You won't believe it! It's a-"

Before Maggie could finish her sentence, Natasha let out a strangled scream.

"Natasha, what's wrong?" The doctor asked anxiously.

"Uh, Maggie. I think you may want to have a look at this." Cathleen said from the foot of the bed with Natasha's baby still in her arms. Maggie rushed back to her mother's side and gasped.

"Oh my God." She said in disbelief. "Natasha, I need you to start pushing again."

"What!?" Natasha exclaimed. "Why?"

"JUST DO IT!" Maggie yelled.

Frightened by her friend's tone, Natasha did as she said and started pushing once more. The same pain she had felt when her baby had made its way out of her filled her again. This time, she didn't have anything to bite on, so all she could do was scream as she pushed and pushed until, finally, the pain ended.

"I don't believe it." Maggie breathed.

"What's going on?" Natasha asked wearily as sweat dripped down her face. "What happened?"

"Natasha," Maggie laughed as the sound of a second baby's cry reached her ears. "You had twins."

"Twins…" She said in disbelief.

"Oh, Bail ó Dhia ort!" Craig exclaimed happily, placing a kiss on her damp head.

"Can I see them?" Natasha asked.

"Of course. Just let us get them cleaned up a bit." Cathleen said.

A few minutes later, Maggie and her mother came around on either side of the bed, each of them holding one of the babies.

"Natasha," Maggie said with a smile. "Meet your son." She gently placed the whimpering newborn in one of his mother's arms.

"And," Cathleen was smiling as well. "Meet your daughter." She placed the baby girl into her mother's other arm.

Natasha sat there, holding both of her newborn children, in complete shock. She couldn't believe it. _Twins_!

"Hi there." She said as a tear escaped her eye. "I'm your mommy."

The infants continued to whimper softly as they tried to adjust to their new surroundings.

"Shhhh…" Natasha tried to soothe them. "It's okay. I'm here." She gently placed a kiss on each of their heads. "I'm going to take care of you."

* * *

**Translation of **Bail ó Dhia ort**: The blessing of god upon you.**

**Boom. It was twins! Whaaaaat!? I've been planning that all along and I made sure I didn't give you any hints! MWAHAHAHAHA! PLEEEAAAASSSEEE tell me what you thought! I want to see reviews people! Were you surprised at all? If you were, TELL ME! Review, review, REVIEW! Sorry if I'm going a bit crazy. It's really late (or early, however you want to look at it). Thanks for reading and I can't wait until the next chapter! TTFN!**


	13. What's In a Name?

**Hello! Okay, so after the last chapter's surprise ending I couldn't wait to write the next installment! Before writing the last chapter, I didn't exactly do much research on childbirth and how long a full term is and all that stuff and what I realized is that it's highly unlikely the twins would have come out without any problems whatsoever. But, for the sake of the story, we're just going to have to pretend! So, basically, the babies are going to be fine (despite being born a bit too early) and I'm sorry if this bothers you. Anyways, thanks a bunch for the excellent reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 13-What's In a Name?**

**Natasha**

The early morning sun seeped through a crack in the curtains and into Natasha's eyes, causing her to open them. She squinted and yawned as she slowly sat up, trying to ignore the soreness that was present all throughout her body. Checking her clock, she found that it was 7:00 in the morning. It had only been three hours since the twins were born, which meant she'd only slept for two and a half hours.

Groaning at the pain it caused her, Natasha threw her legs over the side of the bed and forced herself to her feet. She stumbled out the door, using the wall for support, and headed down the hall towards the nursery. When she reached the door she silently turned the knob and slowly pushed it open, poking her head inside to find the twins sleeping soundly in individual cribs.

Natasha slipped inside and shut the door behind her before moving over to where the newest crib was shoved up against the wall. She smiled when she found one of the newborns resting inside it, comfortably swaddled in a yellow blanket. Before she could move on to the next crib, the door to the nursery suddenly opened causing both Natasha and the person entering to jump.

"Dear God, you scared me!" Maggie whispered breathlessly. "I thought you'd still be sleeping."

"Well, I woke up and thought I'd check on them." Natasha whispered back. "How are they?"

"Fine as far as I can see." Maggie told her. "I've been checking on them every fifteen minutes just to be sure, though."

"What have they been doing?" Natasha wondered as she made her way to the other crib.

"Sleeping." The doctor replied. "Hardly a peep from either of them. However, I imagine they'll wake up soon. They must be getting hungry."

"Right." Natasha said, suddenly realizing that _she'd_ be the one having to feed them. "So, where did the extra crib come from?"

"Oh! Craig called Nancy early this morning and she drove it up here as soon as the roads were clear. She also brought us some breakfast in case you were hungry." Maggie informed her.

"Well that was nice of her." Natasha said as she continued to admire her sleeping children.

"She's still downstairs if you'd like to say hi."

Before Natasha could respond, the baby in the crib under the window suddenly began to cry. Maggie ran over and lifted it up so that it was resting comfortably against her shoulder as she began to rock back and forth soothingly.

"Is that the boy or the girl?" Natasha asked over the infant's screams.

"This is the girl." Maggie said. "You want to hold her?"

Natasha nodded and reached out to take her daughter from her friend's arms.

"How about you try feeding her? I'll bet she's hungry." Maggie recommended.

"Okay." Natasha agreed, taking a seat in the old wooden rocking chair in the corner. Maggie handed her a blanket which she used to cover herself and the baby as she pulled down her shirt.

"Now, it may take her a couple of tries to get it. Just kind of guide her head in the right direction." Maggie instructed.

Natasha did as she said, and, after a few attempts, the infant began to suckle.

"Did she get it?" The Irish girl asked curiously.

"Yea." Natasha replied as she stared at her daughter in adoration. "She's amazing."

"Does 'she' have a name?" Maggie wondered.

"Charlotte." Natasha said with a smile. "That's what I decided on."

"Charlotte." Maggie repeated softly. "That's beautiful. Does it mean something special?"

"The book said it meant 'strong'. I liked that."

"And what about the boy? What's his name?"

"Gavin." Natasha told her.

"That's Celtic, isn't it?" Maggie asked. "What does it mean?"

"You wouldn't get it if I told you."

"I don't care. Tell me anyway."

"Alright." Natasha sighed. "It means 'little hawk'."

"You were right. I don't get it." Maggie laughed.

"I told you." Natasha said knowingly.

"Anyways, I'm sure their new parents are going to adore them!" Maggie exclaimed.

Natasha's heart nearly stopped.

"Their what?"

"New parents? You know, since you're giving them up?" She explained. "We should probably start looking for a family soon."

"Well, we don't have to start looking _too_ soon." Natasha said without meeting Maggie's eyes. "I mean, they're not even a day old yet. Let them live a little first."

"But, I thought you wanted to be rid of them as soon as you could so you could go home and pretend none of this ever happened." Maggie said suspiciously.

Natasha lowered her head.

"Unless you don't _want_ to give them up…" She trailed off.

"I have to." Natasha mumbled.

"Why?" Maggie pressed.

"Because I can't take care of them!"

"Natasha, look at yourself." She pointed to the nursing baby in her arms. "What do you think you're doing right now?"

"That's not what I mean." Natasha muttered.

"Just admit it, you don't want to give them away."

"Please don't make this harder than it's already going to be." She pleaded.

"Admit it!" Maggie urged her.

"Okay, fine! You're right! I can't _stand_ the idea of giving them to someone else!" Natasha cried.

"So don't do it then." Maggie said softly. "Natasha, they need their mother. They need _you_. Take them home. Let them meet their father. Then the two of you can raise them to be the amazing people you and I both know they're going to be."

"What would I tell him?" Natasha whispered, thinking of how Clint would react.

"Tell him the truth. You were scared and unsure of how to deal with the problem so you did what any normal person would have done. You ran away." Maggie explained.

"He'll never forgive me."

"He will if he really loves you."

Natasha sighed and shook her head.

"I can't make this decision right now."

"You don't have to. You still have three months until you have to go home which gives you plenty of time to decide." Maggie reminded her.

Just then, Natasha felt Charlotte stop suckling. She looked down at the infant and found her staring up at her with beautiful blue eyes. A tear slid down her cheek as she fixed her shirt and lifted the baby so that her head was resting on her shoulder.

"You should go back downstairs. I'll be down later." Natasha told Maggie as she gently pat Charlotte's back.

Maggie left without another word, leaving the new mother alone with her children.

Natasha cradled her daughter in her arms tenderly as she moved over to where Gavin was still sleeping soundly. She freed one of her hands and reached to gently stroke his cheek.

"What am I going to do with you two?"

**Sorry this is a shorter chapter. I really just wanted to tell you the twins' names! Did you like them? Did you think they were clever? I don't know, maybe it's kinda cheesy… Anyways, let me know what you thought! I LOOOOOVE feedback so don't be shy! Until next time, TTFN!**


	14. The Decision

**Hello everyone! Sorry that this is another short chapter and all, but I really wanted to update before I have to leave on Sunday! I'm going to this church conference in Montreat NC for an entire week, and I was told that I'm not going to be allowed to bring my computer. So, there won't be another update for at least another week, and I apologize for that. Well, here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14-The Decision**

**Natasha**

**One month later…**

"Maggie? I'm back!" Natasha called for her friend as she walked through the front door.

"I'm in here!" Maggie replied from the living room.

Natasha followed her voice and found her sitting on the floor with both Gavin and Charlotte in her lap.

"Sorry I took so long." She apologized. "I decided to make a quick stop on my way home."

"It's fine. How was the…" Maggie trailed off as she turned to look at Natasha.

"What?" Natasha asked anxiously. "Do you not like it?"

"Oh. My. GOD! You got your hair cut?" The Irish girl exclaimed.

"Does it look bad?" Natasha ran her fingers through her shortened hair.

"No! No, it looks great! It's just different." Maggie told her; her eyes still wide.

"I figured it would be more manageable if it was short. Also, the twins kept pulling at it." Natasha explained as she took Gavin from her friend's lap. "How were they while I was gone?"

"They napped for a while, but now that they're awake they're starting to get fussy."

"They're probably just hungry. Do we have any formula?"

"Formula?" Maggie said in confusion. "It's pretty early to be starting them on formula."

"I know. I just…" Natasha stopped and sighed. "I've come to a decision about the twins."

"Oh." Maggie mumbled. "I see. Well, I know a couple that's been dying to have kids. We could call them up and see if they're interested?"

"What are you talking about?" Natasha asked. "I'm not giving them up."

"You're not?"

"No!" She laughed. "I've thought about it a lot, and I honestly don't think that I could stand the sight of someone else caring for my children."

"You have no idea how much I was hoping you'd say that!" Maggie cheered as she threw an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I'm _so_ happy for you!"

"Thanks." Natasha smiled as she kissed Gavin's head.

"Oh! Have you told their father yet?" Maggie wondered.

"No."

"Well you have to call him right now!" She exclaimed.

"No, I'm not telling him over the phone." Natasha said sternly.

"So you're just going to go home with two babies and tell him he's a dad without preparing him first?" Maggie said with disapproval. "That doesn't seem very fair to him."

"I know. That's why I came up with a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"I was thinking that maybe I could leave the twins here with you for a couple of days while I go home and tell him face to face. Then we could both fly out here and pick them up together." Natasha explained. "That's why I wanted to start them on formula early."

"And you're expecting me to take care of them _on my own_ for a few days?" Maggie asked in obvious shock.

"Well, I'm sure you're mother and Craig will gladly help out." Natasha told her. "Please say you'll do this for me. This is the best way to go about telling Clint so-"

"Clint?" Maggie said questioningly. "Is that his name?"

"Shit." Natasha muttered under her breath. "Yes. That's his name. But you don't know that, okay?"

"I don't see why it matters now. Apparently I'm going to be meeting him soon."

"So you'll do it then?"

"Of course I'll do it!" Maggie said like it was obvious.

"Thank you _so_ much!" Natasha said happily.

"When are you going back?"

"As soon as possible, so, probably on Friday."

"That only gives you tomorrow to pack." Maggie informed her.

"That's all I need." Natasha said positively. "Also, it will give me less time to change my mind about any of this."

"Oh, I'm not gonna let you change your mind." Maggie assured her.

"Right." Natasha laughed.

"So, are you at least going to call and let Clint know that you're coming home early?"

"He's not expecting me for another two months, so I thought it might be fun to surprise him."

"I'd like to see that." Maggie smiled.

"I was thinking we could give the twins baths tonight." Natasha said thoughtfully.

"Sounds like a good idea." Maggie agreed. "Get them all cleaned up to meet their daddy."

"They won't be meeting him until next week!" Natasha laughed.

"I know. I'm just _so_ excited!"

"Me too." She sighed as her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Clint again.

"Hey, look!" Maggie suddenly pointed to the TV, which had been playing the international news in the background since Natasha had come in. "That looks like New York!"

Natasha squinted at the small screen and caught glimpses of the New York City skyline in the pictures behind the news anchor.

"It is New York."

"Why is New York on the news?" Maggie wondered.

Just then, a photo of a modern looking building flashed across the screen with the name "Stark" clearly labeling it.

"Ah." Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes. "I should have guessed."

"They finished the Stark Tower? That didn't take very long." Maggie observed.

"Well, Tony Stark _is_ a billionaire. I'm sure he found a way to speed up the construction."

"You say that like you've met him."

Natasha smiled and cuddled Gavin to her chest as they finished watching the broadcast.

* * *

**Yaaaay! Natasha's keeping the twins AND going home early! I'm guessing this makes most of you super happy! I'm pleased to tell you that the next chapter will include Clint! I know I've sort of been leaving him out of everything lately so I decided it was time to get him involved again. Chapter 15 is gonna be super duper sweet and happy, so don't miss it! It's highly unlikely that it will happen, but I'm going to try super hard to update one last time before I leave for Montreat. So, either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. It depends on how much free time I have. Anyways, thanks soooo much for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! Till next time, TTFN!**

**P.S. Sorry if this chapter lacks in quality. I wrote most of it late at night and didn't have much time today to touch it up but wanted to post it so I could try and get the next chapter up before I leave! Hope you enjoy it anyways.**


	15. Coming Home

**Holy shit, I did it! I updated before I had to leave! I'm a champ, oh yea! So happy I was able to finish this! I got a lot of encouragement from you all to get this done so thanks! Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 15-Coming Home**

**Natasha**

"I think that's everything." Natasha said breathlessly as she placed her final bag in the back of the cab. She slammed the trunk closed and turned to Maggie and Craig who were each holding one of the twins. "Okay, I'm going to give you my home and my cell number in case something happens and you need to reach me."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to Maggie.

"Wait, there are three phone numbers on here." Maggie said, confused.

"Oh, yea, I also put my boss's emergency number on there in case I don't answer. Just ask for me when he picks up."

"Uh, are you supposed to be giving me your boss's phone number?" Maggie asked nervously.

"Probably not. But, I doubt you'll even need to use it." Natasha told her without worry.

"You almost ready, miss?" The cab driver asked out the open window.

"One minute." Natasha told him.

"Say goodbye to Mommy!" Maggie said as she handed Charlotte off to her mother.

"Bye Charlotte." Natasha murmured, pecking her daughter's cheek. "I'll see you soon."

She handed Charlotte back to Maggie and took Gavin from Craig. Kissing her son on the top of his head, Natasha hugged him to her chest and whispered her goodbye in his ear before Craig took him back and she climbed into the cab.

"Where to, miss?" The driver asked.

"The airport." Natasha told him in a wobbly voice. Even though she'd be seeing her babies in a couple of days, it was still hard for her to leave them.

"Alright. It'll be about fifteen minutes." The driver informed her as he put the cab in drive and began pulling away from Maggie's house.

Natasha rolled down the window and stuck her hand out to wave goodbye until her friends and children were out of sight. She sat quietly for the rest of the ride until they reached the airport. She climbed out of the cab and retrieved her bags from the trunk before paying the cab driver and walking inside.

"Ah, hello!" A man greeted her at the front door. "You must be Natasha. Maggie said you'd be coming."

"That's me." Natasha shook the man's hand.

"My name is Patrick Brennan. I'll be piloting your flight to England." He informed her.

"It's nice to meet you." She nodded.

"There are a few more passengers we need to wait on before we leave, but as soon as they arrive we'll be taking off. Can I help you with your bags?" Patrick asked.

"Yes, thank you." Natasha said appreciatively as he took two of her three bags.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you going to England?" Patrick wondered.

"I'm catching a flight to New York." She told him.

"You live there?"

"Yes."

"Sounds exciting." Patrick enthused.

"Oh, it's thrilling. There's always something to do in the Big Apple." Natasha said with a smile. "I can't wait to get back."

They stopped walking when they reached the back door of the tiny airport. Patrick handed her bags off to two other men to be loaded onto the plane.

"You'll have to wait here until the rest of the passengers arrive." He said. "I'll come back and let you all know when you can board. Just relax until then."

"Thank you, Patrick." Natasha said gratefully before joining the other passengers in a waiting area. The plane could only hold twenty passengers plus the pilot and copilot, and it appeared as though most of the other people had already arrived so it shouldn't be much longer until they boarded. Nonetheless, Natasha decided to take a seat in one of the remaining chairs to wait.

Once she'd sat down, she began digging through her purse for her phone, but instead found a white envelope with her name on it. Curiously, she tore it open and removed its contents finding a small slip of paper and a gold, heart-shaped locket. Natasha read what was written on the slip of paper first.

"_Something to help you keep them close to your heart. –XOXO, Maggie."_

She tucked the paper back into the envelope and opened the locket, smiling when she found two pictures of Charlotte and Gavin inside. Natasha undid the clasp of the necklace and fastened it around her neck for safe keeping.

"Alright folks, we're ready to get going." Patrick said when he returned a few minutes later.

Natasha grabbed her purse and followed the other passengers as they filed out the door and towards the small plane that would be taking them to England. She was finally on her way home.

**Clint**

**10 hours later…**

Clint walked down the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D. in irritation. He was being sent on yet another mission where all he was going to do was sit on his ass and watch scientists play science fair. This was the fifth time this year he was being sent to be a security guard and it was starting to get boring.

"Barton!" Coulson called from the opposite end of the hall.

Clint looked over his shoulder and found his handler running to catch up with him.

"You almost ready to go? Wheels up in fifteen minutes."

"Remind me again why _I _have to go?" He complained. "Can't you just send one of the junior agents?"

"I thought we went over this. Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. is top secret. Only agents with level seven access are allowed to know about you. And since you are one of the best agents we have with level seven clearance, you were assigned this mission. Now quit your whining and-" Phil stopped midsentence when he caught sight of something at the other end of the hall.

"What?" Clint asked, curiously glancing over his shoulder. A flash of red suddenly caught his eye as he scanned the crowd of buys agents and his heart nearly stopped when he realized what it was.

"Is that…" Phil tried to get the words out.

"Natasha." Clint breathed as he started running towards her. "Natasha!"

Her head snapped in his direction at the sound of her name and a huge smile immediately spread across her face. Clint easily shoved through the crowd, knocking some of the other agents to the ground. They yelled after him in annoyance, but he didn't stop. He just kept running until, finally, he reached Natasha and threw his arms around her.

"Hey!" She laughed as he lifted her off the ground in a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey?" Clint said breathlessly. "I haven't seen you in almost a year, and all you have to say is 'hey?'"

Natasha pulled away from him and laughed again.

"Well, I didn't exactly prepare a speech."

"You're back early." Clint observed. "And you got your hair cut."

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." He smiled as he pulled her back towards him to kiss her.

When they moved away from one another, Natasha suddenly looked serious.

"I need to talk to you." She told him. "Do you have time right now?"

"Uh, not really." Clint sighed. "I was kind of about to leave for NASA."

"NASA?"

"Yea, S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing some sort of science experiment and they want me to make sure no one tries to take it, or something."

"What kind of experiment?" Natasha asked.

"Something to do with unlimited, self-sustaining energy that comes from a glowy blue cube. I personally think it sounds extremely dull." He complained.

"Can't you get out of it? Because I _really_ need to talk to you."

"Don't you think I've tried?"

"Well, how long will you be gone?" She wondered.

"Just a week." Clint assured her. "We can talk when I get back."

"Promise me you _will_ come back." Natasha demanded.

"C'mon, Nat. It's just a security detail. What's the worst that could happen?" He laughed.

"Barton! We need to get going!" Coulson said as he approached them.

"I hear ya." Clint rolled his eyes.

"Romanoff. It's good to see you." Phil nodded to Natasha.

"It's good to see you too." She smiled.

"Hey, I'm really glad you're back." Clint murmured before leaning in to kiss her one last time. "I'll see you in a week."

"Be safe." Natasha called after him as he practically skipped towards the aircraft hangar. He was so happy right now that _nothing_, not even Bobbi, could spoil his mood.

**Natasha**

Natasha sighed as she watched Clint run away from her. She sure had great timing.

"You're back early." Coulson suddenly said from beside her. "I'm assuming everything went smoothly then?"

"Yes. Better than expected, actually." She informed him.

"Well that's good to hear." He smiled. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Natasha agreed.

"Have you seen the director yet?"

"I was headed in that direction."

"Good. I'm sure he'll be pleased that you made an early return. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to catch that flight to the NASA facility." Phil told her.

"It was good to see you." She said as he began to walk away. "Oh, and Coulson!"

He stopped and turned to face her.

"Watch out for him."

"Always do." He smiled before waving goodbye and walking in the same direction Clint had gone.

When Coulson had walked out of sight, Natasha turned around and headed towards Director Fury's office. However, when she got there and knocked on the door, there was no reply. She turned the handle and poked her head inside, but the director was nowhere to be found. Figuring that he had to come back sometime, Natasha decided to sit down and wait for him to return.

As she waited, something suddenly occurred to her. Since Clint was going to be gone for the next week, they wouldn't be able to pick the twins up.

"Shit." Natasha muttered as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Maggie's number.

"Hello?" Maggie picked up after the first couple of rings.

"Hey Maggie, it's me."

"Natasha! Are you home yet?" The Irish girl asked.

"Yes, I got in about an hour ago. Listen, there's going to be a change in plans." Natasha told her.

"Have you seen Clint yet? Did you tell him?"

"Yes, I saw him, but I haven't told him yet." She said sheepishly.

"Well why the hell not?" Maggie exclaimed.

"Because I only saw him for a few minutes. He was on his way out when I came in and now he's going to be gone for a week."

"So, pretty much what you're saying is that I'm going to have to take care of the twins for a week instead of a few days?" She sighed.

"Sorry." Natasha apologized.

Just then, the door to Fury's office swung open and the director walked in.

"Uh, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Without waiting for Maggie to respond, Natasha hung up her phone and put it back in her pocket.

"Agent Romanoff. You're back early." Fury said as he sat down. "And may I just say, your timing is perfect."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"There's an issue in Russia that we need taken care of, and you're the one we need for the job."

"Sir, I literally _just_ got back this morning." She said in disbelief.

"And you _should_ be ready to work." Furry said sternly. "That was part of our agreement."

Natasha opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it when she realized that he was right.

"How long will this assignment take?" She asked.

"For you? Four days, max. You just need to pump a Russian weapons dealer for information. They've been on our radar for a while, but now they've started to become a real pain in our ass. We need to shut them down. I'm sure you can handle this." Fury told her as he handed her a file.

Natasha took the file from him and sighed. She _would_ need something to do while she waited for Clint to return, and the mission seemed harmless enough. Like Clint had said: What could possibly go wrong?

**Mwahahahaha! I'm evil! Looks like there's going to be a bit of a wait until Clint finds out about his kids! Oh, the drama! Don't you just love it? Sorry I won't be able to update for the next week. I'm going to sneak my laptop to church camp so I can write at night, but I won't have wifi, so I won't be able to upload anything. Anyways, thanks for reading! I love you guys, reviews are appreciated, blah blah blah… You get the idea. Until next time, TTFN!**


	16. Everything Went Wrong

**Hey! Guess what? I'm a liar! I didn't think there'd be wifi at my church camp, but there is! It's super weak, but I managed to get this short chapter up! I've occasionally been getting emails telling me that people have been following, favoriting, and reviewing this story, and I greatly appreciate that! So, without further ado, please enjoy this chapter, which is basically the first two scenes of The Avengers. It gives a bit of insight as to what Clint and Natasha are thinking, but it's not much. Anyways, this is all I could come up with since I'm so horribly sleep deprived. I'm babbling, sorry. Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16-Everything Went Wrong**

**Clint**

Clint sighed and scanned the lab below him as he sat high up in the rafters of the NASA facility. He kept his eyes trained on the glowing blue cube, called the Tesseract, which was the focus of everyone's attention. In the past hour, he'd noticed that some of the scientists had gotten a little edgy and were running around anxiously like something was wrong. Then he'd vaguely heard the lead scientist, Dr. Selvigg, say that "the Tesseract was misbehaving." He didn't know what that meant, but apparently it was bad enough that they'd called Fury.

When the director arrived, he immediately began talking to Selvigg. Clint tried to tune in on what he was saying but he was too far away to make out anything they were saying.

"Agent Barton, report." Fury's voice suddenly emanated from the comm. in his ear. He pushed himself to his feet and slid down the rope that he had tethered to the platform he'd been spending most of his time on.

"I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things." The director told him when he reached the ground.

"I see better from a distance." Clint said as they began to walk towards the Tesseract.

"Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?"

"No one's come or gone. And Selvigg's clean. No contacts, no IMs. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end."

"At this end?" Fury said questioningly.

"Yea. The cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right?" Clint said as he tried to remember some of the things he'd learned from observing the Tesseract. "Doors open from both sides."

Suddenly, the cube began to spark with energy, causing the ground to shake. He and Fury stared in anticipation as it released a beam of light that formed a large portal-like thing on the opposite side of the massive room. The portal slowly expanded until it finally collapsed, sending the excess energy towards the awestruck scientists.

When the wispy blue light cleared, there was a man kneeling down in the spot where the portal had been. Fury signaled for four nearby agents to begin moving in as the mysterious, and oddly dressed, figure began to stand up.

"Sir," The director called out to him when he realized he was holding what looked like a scepter. "Please put down the spear."

The man paused for a moment, looked at his staff, then looked directly at Fury as he fired some sort of blue energy at him. Instinctively, Clint knocked his boss to the ground and reached for his gun. By the time he'd gotten the gun loaded, the mystery man had killed the four agents that had been closing in on him. He immediately opened fire, aiming directly for his head, but he found himself ducking for cover when he saw yet another blue ball of energy hurtling towards him.

When he leapt out of the way, he fell hard on his left shoulder and was momentarily immobilized by the pain. Groaning quietly at the sudden discomfort, he gradually pushed himself to his feet and turned to assess the damage that had been done to the lab. However, before he could get a good look at anything, the spear-wielding assailant noticed he wasn't dead and lunged for him. In an effort to fight back, Clint grabbed his arm and tried to fling him towards the wall, but he didn't budge.

Apparently amused by his futile attempts to stop him, the deadly man froze and smiled slightly.

"You have heart." He mumbled, lifting his scepter and pressing it to his chest.

Clint braced himself, fully expecting the pain of the spear going through his chest. What happened instead was much worse. It was like everything inside his head was being ripped out and rearranged. He tried to fight it, but it was too powerful. Too overwhelming. The last thing he remembered thinking about was Natasha before the last bit of himself that he still possessed was locked away, leaving him trapped inside his own mind.

**Natasha**

Natasha grunted as a fist made contact with her right cheek. She quickly recomposed herself and shook her hair out of her face so she could look her "captor" in the eye.

"This is not how I wanted this evening to go." The old Russian general said with slight disappointment.

"I know how you wanted this evening to go." Natasha replied in her native tongue. "Believe me, this is better."

"Who are you working for? Lermentov, yes?" He said knowingly.

One of the general's goons moved over to her and tilted the chair to which she was tied backwards. If he were to drop her, she would fall two stories.

"Does he think we have to go through him to move our cargo?"

"I thought General Solohob was in charge of the export business." Natasha said innocently.

"Solohob." The general laughed. "A bagman, a front. Your outdated information betrays you."

_"That's right." _She thought to herself. _"Keep talking."_

"The famous Black Widow." He continued. "And she turns out to be simply another pretty face."

"You really think I'm pretty?" Natasha said in a semi-seductive voice.

"Tell Lermentov we don't need him to move the tanks." The general told her as the same goon that had hit her grabbed her head and forced her mouth open. "Tell him he is out. Well…" He picked up a pair of pliers and converted to English while Natasha weakly struggled against the goon's grip. "You may have to write it down."

Natasha grunted and was pretending to act nervous when the other goon's cell phone started to ring. Confused, he pulled it out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear.

"Yes?" He said in Russian. After a moment of listening to whoever was on the other end of the line, he handed to the general. "It's for her."

Natasha narrowed her eyes and watched the general take the phone from his henchman in frustration while the man holding her head finally released her.

"You listen carefully…" He began to speak to the person on the phone, but quickly stopped. An anxious look appeared on his face as he brought the phone over to Natasha and shoved it between her shoulder and ear.

"We need you to come in." Coulson told her.

Natasha huffed in irritation. She hadn't known how much she'd missed being in the field until they'd sent her on this mission, and now that she was getting back in the swing of things they were trying to call her home early.

"Are you kidding? I'm working." She whined.

"This takes precedence." Phil said monotonously.

"I'm in the middle of an interrogation. This moron is giving me everything." Natasha replied, glancing at the general.

"I don't…give…everything." He stuttered.

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Look, you can't pull me out of this right now."

"Natasha." Coulson sounded serious all of the sudden. "Barton's been compromised."

In that moment, it felt like her entire world froze. Clint had been compromised? How? He was just doing a security job at NASA, one of the most highly secure places in the world. How could he have been compromised?

As time slowly started to move again, Natasha recovered from the shock Coulson's words had caused her and prepared to make her move.

"Let me put you on hold." She told her handler, signaling the general that she was done with the phone. As soon as he was close enough to her she attacked him by kicking him hard in the chest and head butting him to the floor. Naturally, his henchman tried to stop her but she easily defeated them, as well as freed herself from the chair she was tied to. When all three men were either groaning in pain on the ground or hanging upside down from a chain, Natasha collected the cell phone and her heels from the ground so she could finish her conversation with Coulson.

"Where's Barton now?" She demanded to know.

"We don't know."

"But he's alive?"

"We think so."

That was enough to make Natasha sigh in relief.

"We'll have to brief you on everything when you get back. But first we need you to talk to the big guy." Phil told her.

"Coulson, you know that Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me." She reminded him.

"Oh, I've got Stark. You get the big guy."

Natasha froze. He couldn't possibly mean…

"_Bozhe moi_."

* * *

**And there you have it. The next chapter will be less movie and more "what happened when Black Widow was off-screen", I promise. I had to establish this though. Well, I hope you liked it. I actually have to be somewhere right now and I really want to post this before I leave, so TTFN!**

**P.S. Don't forget to review!**


	17. Searching

**Sorry for the wait guys! I was at church camp all last week, as you all know, and as soon as I got home I had an SAT prep class that I signed up for. Put that on top of the work I've been doing on my AP US History summer assignment, and I'd say that I've been pretty busy. However, I still managed to squeeze this in, so here it is! As promised, this is a lot of "what was Natasha doing when she was off-screen" so I hope you enjoy it! **

**P.S. Please take the time to read my AN at the end of this story. It's important!**

* * *

**Chapter 17-Searching**

**Natasha**

Natasha sat with her head in her hands at the large conference table on the bridge of the Helicarrier. A few hours ago, she'd arrived on board with Bruce Banner and Coulson had brought Steve Rogers soon after. She had heard about the discovery of the super soldier in the Arctic Circle and now it appeared as though they were going to be working together.

"Natasha?" Coulson suddenly appeared next to her.

"Did you find him?" She asked without looking up.

"Not yet." Phil told her, placing a cup of coffee and a granola bar in front of her. "You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You keep saying that." He sighed. "You're not going to be much use when we find Clint if you're passed out on the ground."

Natasha glanced at her handler and sighed. He had a point. She couldn't just shut down right now. Clint, as well as their children, needed her focused and ready for action at a moment's notice.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she took a bite of the tasteless granola bar and sipped on the crappy coffee.

"We haven't really had much of a chance to talk." Coulson said quietly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm coping." She muttered.

"You know we're going to find him, right?" He assured her.

"We have to." Natasha whimpered as a tear slid down her cheek. "I never got to tell him…"

"Tell him what?"

"That he's a father."

"You were going to tell him?" Phil asked in surprise.

She nodded.

"But, I thought you gave it up?"

"I changed my mind." Natasha whispered.

"So you're keeping it then?" Coulson was still trying to wrap his head around it.

"Yes. That's why we have to find him. He needs to know." She explained.

"I'm not sure if this is the appropriate time to be asking this, but was it a boy or a girl?" Phil wondered.

"Both." She smiled slightly.

"Both? How many babies did you have?" He quietly exclaimed.

"Two. It was a bit of a surprise."

Suddenly, Coulson stood up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I swear to you, I am going to find Barton and bring him home alive, even if it kills me." He promised.

"I'll hold you to that." Natasha said, only half joking.

Just then, Steve Rogers walked onto the bridge and began observing the face-trace.

"Um," Phil said awkwardly. "I'm just gonna…go…supervise."

"You do that." She smirked as her handler practically skipped the Captain's side. Natasha only wished that she could have been there to see his face when they'd pulled him out of the ice. Now _that_ would have been hilarious.

Suddenly, a beeping noise came from one of the monitors they were using for the face-trace.

"We got a hit!" Agent Sitwell told Coulson. "67% match. Wait, cross-match, 79%."

Natasha leapt out of her seat and ran over to the railing to get a closer look at the screen. Her heart immediately sank though when she saw that it was for Loki, the god that had taken Clint. But still, finding him was better than finding nothing.

"Location?" Phil asked.

"Stuttgart, Germany, 28 Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding." Sitwell told him.

"Captain." Fury said from his place at the helm of the Helicarrier. "You're up."

Rogers nodded. Natasha could tell that he was a little anxious.

"Romanoff." The director suddenly boomed. "You'll be copiloting the Quinjet with Agent Roswell. Oh, and please show Captain Rogers where his new uniform and shield is being kept."

"Yes sir." She said obediently before turning to Steve. "Follow me."

Natasha led him off of the bridge and towards the changing rooms where S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms were kept.

"You're uniform should be through this door, down the hall, and to the right." She directed him. "Meet me on jet #15 when you're ready."

"Thank you ma'am." He said appreciatively.

"Captain," Natasha stopped him. "Please don't call me ma'am. You can call me, Natasha, Romanoff, or Agent if you still want to be formal."

"Alright. Thank you…Agent." Rogers said with a slight smile.

She smiled back, then turned on her heel to make her way to the aircraft hangar and find her Quinjet. When she got there, Agent Roswell was already waiting for her.

"Where's the Captain?" He asked as he put his headset on and began checking the jet's systems.

"Getting in uniform." She told him, taking the copilot's chair.

Roswell nodded and went about his work, prepping the Quinjet for takeoff.

When Steve did finally join them, he was fully dressed in his uniform and ready to go. He took a seat in the back of the jet while Natasha and Agent Roswell began communicating with base so they could get underway. As soon as they had taken off, Natasha removed her headset and decided to join the Captain in the back.

"Anxious?" She asked when she noticed his foot tapping repeatedly.

"No, not at all." He laughed.

"You're a rotten liar." She informed him.

"Okay, maybe I am a little nervous." Rogers admitted. "How 'bout you?"

Natasha wanted to laugh, but kept it in so the Captain wouldn't feel embarrassed.

"I've learned to suppress the nerves." She told him. "It was a part of my training back in the day."

"How long have you been with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve asked.

"About eight years."

"Wow." He mumbled. "That's rather impressive."

"It pays the bills." She smiled.

There was a long awkward silence after that.

"So," The Captain cleared his throat. "Are you married?"

Natasha smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Are you asking?"

Steve's eyes widened and his mouth nearly hit the floor.

"No! No, I was just wondering! Not that I wouldn't ask you if I knew you better. You're a very beautiful woman…"

"Relax, Rogers, I'm just kidding!" She laughed. "And, to answer your question, no, I'm not married."

"Oh," He sighed.

"Just out of curiosity, why _are_ you asking?"

"Trying to make conversation." He mumbled.

"Uh-huh." Natasha said, unconvinced.

"Also, because I couldn't help but notice your concern for Agent Barton. You seem pretty bothered by his absence, so I was just curious." Steve finally confessed.

She could feel herself tense at the mention of Clint and the Captain noticed.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's fine." She quickly recomposed herself. "You're right."

"You two are close then?"

"Yes." She told him. "He got me my job at S.H.I.E.L.D.. We were partners for seven years after that."

"Wow." Rogers whispered. "That's quite a history. Why aren't you still partners?"

"There were some…complications…that arose last year. Because of them our partnership was terminated." Natasha muttered. "But, we worked together for so long that I can't help but still feel concerned for his well-being."

"Of course. I completely understand." Steve said sympathetically. "I'm sure we'll find him, safe and sound."

"Good." She sighed. "Because when we do, I'm gonna kill him."

"Romanoff, Captain, we're approaching Stuttgart. It should be another five minutes." Roswell suddenly informed them.

"Cool." Natasha said, glad that she wouldn't have to talk about Clint anymore. "It's show time."

* * *

**A few hours later…**

Natasha stared at the monitor in front of her and watched the god of mischief pace back and forth in his cell. They had arrived back on the Helicarrier from Stuttgart forty-five minutes ago, and this was all she'd been doing: absolutely nothing.

"Damn." Coulson said as he came to stand over her shoulder. "That's one hell of a glare you've got going."

"So what's the plan?" She asked bluntly.

"Plan for what?"

"What are we going to do to him? Are we going to interrogate him, torture him…"

"Romanoff, his brother is here and clearly very protective of him. I don't think we should be doing anything _to_ him right now." Phil explained.

"But Clint is still out there." Natasha said through clenched teeth. "We should be doing _something_."

"We are. We're searching for the Tesseract. That's all we can do right now."

"No it isn't." She muttered, shoving away from the monitor and turning to exit the bridge.

"Where do you think you're going?" Coulson grabbed her arm.

"To find out where my partner is." She shook him off.

"Natasha, he's a trickster god. Do you really think you're going to be able to beat him at his own game?" He called after her.

"I guess we'll find out." Natasha said, mostly to herself. She didn't hear her handler respond, nor did she hear him following her, so she took that as a sign of his defeat. Swiftly, she made her way to the detention level of the Helicarrier and found the room where Loki's cell was. There were two armed guards standing in front of the door, but they allowed her to slip inside as soon as she flashed them her level 7 clearance card.

Natasha soundlessly walked down a short hallway that connected the main room to the entrance and found herself standing directly in front of the large, glass cell. Loki was inside, pacing as he had been ever since he'd gotten here. His back was to her at the moment, but he soon sensed her presence and stopped where he was.

"There's not many people who can sneak up on me." He said with an impressed smirk.

"But you figured I'd come."

"After." Loki began to move towards her. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."

"I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton." Natasha demanded, getting right to the point.

He shrugged.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind."

She narrowed her eyes and began to take a few steps towards the cell.

"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?"

"Oh…" Loki uttered knowingly. "Is this love, Agent Romanoff?"

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." She told him, not allowing anything about her and Clint to slip.

The god of mischief backed away from her and went to sit down at the back of his cell.

"Tell me."

Natasha sighed anxiously and sat down as well.

"Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., I, uh…well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar in a bad way." She explained, pausing as the memories of her past momentarily came back to haunt her. "Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki wondered.

She smirked.

"Not let you out."

"No, but I like this." He smiled. "Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man."

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian. Or I was."

"And what are you now?"

"It's really not that complicated." She said as she got to her feet, getting slightly irritated that he hadn't given her any clues as to where Clint was. "I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you? Can you wipe out _that_ much red?" Loki suddenly asked. "Dreykov's daughter, Sao Paulo, the hospital fire…"

Natasha felt the blood drain from her face as he listed off three of the most horrible things she had ever done. Things only Clint, Coulson, and Fury knew about…

"Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping. It's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is at prayer. Pathetic!" He snarled as he moved back towards the glass wall that was separating them. "You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never. Go. Away."

Suddenly, Loki slammed his fist against the glass, causing Natasha to jump back in fright.

"I won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you. Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull!" He vowed as she turned away from him to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. "This is my bargain you mewling quim."

Natasha tried hard to erase the image that he had just painted in her mind while simultaneously trying to prevent herself from bursting into tears.

"You're a monster." She whimpered.

"Oh, no." Loki laughed. "_You_ brought the monster."

And then, it clicked. _She'd_ brought the monster. The Hulk.

Blinking the tears from her eyes, Natasha lifted her head and turned back around to face the trickster to let him know he'd slipped up.

"So, Banner. That's your play?"

"What?" Loki said in confusion.

Natasha pushed the button to activate her comm. and began making her way out of the room.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab. I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." She ordered whoever was listening before turning to face the puzzled god one final time. "Thank you for your cooperation."

And with that, she strode out of the room, nodding to the guards that had allowed her to pass earlier. She began to make her way towards the lab, but felt a painful aching in the back of her throat as the tears she had been suppressing finally began to slip out. Finding the nearest empty room, Natasha threw herself inside and allowed herself to be overcome by sobs.

Loki's words had been so cruel and vivid that it made her tremble like a leaf. There was no doubt in her mind that he would make good on his word if he got the chance, and if he succeeded, then her children would be left orphaned. That was something she could not allow to happen.

Natasha wiped her eyes and forced her sniffles to subside as a burning determination began to creep its way into her mind. She was letting her weakness for Clint show, and that was unacceptable at a time like this. She needed to pull herself together and do her job. Natasha was going to find Clint and take him to meet their children if it was the last thing she ever did.

* * *

**Well, there ended up being a lot more movie stuff in there than I originally intended…but how could I resist! The interrogation scene between Natasha and Loki is one of my favorites! I just love all the drama! So, tell me what you thought! Anything you guys want to see happen in this story? I'm open to suggestions. Please review! They're my favorites! Clint is coming back again in the next chapter, BTW, so that's something for ya'll to look forward to! Until next time, TTFN!s**

**PLEASE READ!:**

**Okay, so, I hate to say this, but A Onetime Thing is nearing its end :'( I know, it's heartbreaking right? But never fear! Every cloud has a silver lining! When one of my stories ends, that just means I get to move on to another one! Yaaaay! Now, I really like to plan ahead when I write, and I really want to be able to have a first chapter ready for when the story is over so you guys (if you're interested) don't have to wait. The only problem is that I have about a million ideas, and I can only pick one. So, I decided that, since I write for my audience, I'd let you guys choose which one comes next! I'm gonna give you a list of titles I've come up with, and then you're going to let me know in a review or PM which one sounds the most interesting. I would give you summaries, except I've had incidents where my story ideas got stolen and I don't want that to happen again. Sorry. Well, here are the titles:**

**1) Shattered**

**2) Oblivion**

**3) Fugue**

**4) Reunion**

**5) Improbable (this one will be The Archer and The Spy reposted and with a new name for those of you who were reading that one before it got deleted somehow.)**

**6) Casual**

**7) Hush**

**8) Forever and Always (Song fic!)**

**9) The Contamination**

**All of these stories are Clintasha, since that's all that I write, but most of them of the other teammates in them as well. Please let me know which title sounds the most interesting in a review! I'll take a tally of the most popular ones and let you know which one you guys chose! Oh, and please don't tell me that any of these stories will be fine with you, because that won't help me at all. Thanks!**


	18. Rescued

**Hellooo peeples! Sorry this took longer than expected. I went on a mini-vacation to Charleston yesterday and just got home this evening, so I didn't have time to do touch ups on this chapter 'til tonight. I was told that I need to update faster by one of my lovely readers (you know who you are), so I just wanted to let you know that the next chapter will be up ASAP! Okay, well that's enough from me! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 18-Rescued**

**Natasha**

Natasha took in a deep, shaky breath as she wiped the final tear from her eye. This was ridiculous. She needed to get a hold of herself. For Clint, _and_ the twins' sake.

"Shit." She suddenly gasped. The twins. Maggie didn't know about Clint yet.

Natasha grabbed her cell phone from a clip on her belt and quickly dialed Maggie's number.

"Natasha?" The Irish girl picked up after the first couple of rings.

"Hey," She replied as calmly as she could. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Is something wrong?" Maggie asked.

"Clint is missing." Natasha said quietly. "I don't know where he is, or if he's even still alive."

"Oh no…" Maggie gasped.

"So, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the twins. It may be more than a week and I just wanted to make that that was okay with you."

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "Give me a call as soon as you hear any news, okay?"

"Sure." Natasha agreed. "But before you go, there's one other thing I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Something big is coming, Maggie. And I'm going to be right in the middle of it." She explained. "So, if anything should happen to me-"

"Stop." Maggie cut her off. "I don't want to hear you talk like that."

"I just need you to promise me that you'll look out for the twins. Make sure they go to a nice home, and make sure they stay together." Natasha ordered.

"I will, I promise." Maggie swore quietly. "In return, though, you need to promise me that I won't have to keep that promise."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "But I can't promise you that."

"Then promise your children."

"I can't." Natasha said again as tears began to burn in her eyes. "I wish I could, but I just can't, alright?"

Maggie sighed.

"Alright."

"How are they?" Natasha asked, desperate to change the subject.

"They're fine. They definitely miss you, though."

"Give my babies a kiss for me, okay?" She said with a small smile. "And tell them that I love them."

"You got it." Maggie laughed slightly.

"I really need to go now." Natasha told her, realizing that she still needed to get to the lab. "I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Okay." Maggie agreed.

"Goodbye."

Natasha hung up her phone and put it back on her belt as she turned to exit the room. However, she froze when she realized that someone was standing in the doorway, watching her.

"How long have you been standing there?" She growled at the slim blonde girl as she wiped her eyes.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Bobbi asked.

Natasha's face hardened as she tried to brush past the nosy bitch.

"Hey," She said, grabbing her arm. "Did you say that you have _babies_?"

"Let go of me." Natasha yanked her arm out of her grasp.

"Is that where you were this past year? Were you pregnant?" Bobbi rapidly fired off questions.

"Listen." Natasha said in a serious, angry tone. "Whatever you heard, or thought you heard, while you were eavesdropping is none of your business. And if you breathe one word of it to _anyone_, I will make your life a living hell." She shoved passed Bobbi and stormed off towards the lab. Like this day wasn't bad enough already…

"Whoa!" Someone shouted as Natasha walked right into them. She was so distracted that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.

"Sorry." She muttered, looking up to see who she'd bumped into. "Coulson?"

"Hey, are you alright?" Her handler asked with concern.

"Yes." She lied. "I was just on my way to the lab."

"As was I." He informed her. "I got word that you wanted Thor in the lab as well, so I was just showing him the way."

"Oh," Natasha said, taking note of the bulky blonde demigod behind him.

"Natasha, what's going on?" Phil asked quietly as they began walking again. "What did Loki say?"

"It's not what he said, but what he implied." She told him. "He's trying to get Banner to turn."

"How?"

"I'm working on figuring that out, but until I do we need to keep Banner isolated."

"I agree." Coulson said as they came to a stop in front of the entrance to the lab. "But I'm afraid I can't go in to help. I need to be on the bridge to supervise the face-trace."

"Let me know if you find him." Natasha said quietly.

"You'll be the first to know." He assured her as he began walking away. "Good luck."

Natasha watched her handler walk away and took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to walk into. She turned to Thor, determination coloring her face.

"Let's go." She ordered as she led the demigod into the lab.

**Clint**

The stolen Quinjet in which Clint was riding sped towards the last reported location of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with one goal in mind: retrieve Loki. He had received the telepathic message from his master that his work was almost complete and that it was time for them to liberate him from his prison.

"Sir?" The copilot of the jet got his attention. "We're approaching the Helicarrier now. It's time to get into position."

Clint nodded and stood up to prepare his bow. He glanced at the other men and noticed they were all preparing themselves to board the carrier. However, before they could go inside, he needed to ring the door bell…

He reached over to the control panel on the wall and pulled the lever that opened the back of the Quinjet. Clint stepped up to the opening and retrieved an exploding arrow from his quiver, nocking it on his bowstring and pulling it back to his cheek. He took the speed and direction of the wind into account and adjusted his aim accordingly before releasing the arrow and watching it attach to one of the four engines. Without hesitation, he pressed the activation button on his bow and smirked as the engine blew up, causing a large chunk of it to fall towards the earth.

"Prepare to land." Clint ordered the pilot as he closed the back of the Quinjet.

They obeyed him immediately and descended towards the tarmac of the Helicarrier, landing skillfully on the moving vessel.

"Alright," He said to the rest of the men. "Let's move."

**Natasha**

Natasha opened her eyes and groaned quietly at the pain that was emanating from where she'd just hit her head. She looked around, trying to figure out where the hell she was. Sirens were blaring from every speaker on the Helicarrier, bombarding her ears with noise. She could vaguely hear Director Fury's voice in her comm. link as he asked around to try and figure out what had happened.

That was definitely the big question right now. What _had_ happened? The last thing she remembered was being in the lab with the rest of her so-called "team", then there had been a loud booming noise and all of the sudden she was down here with Banner.

_"Oh shit."_ She thought to herself. Where was Banner?

Natasha looked around and finally found him lying a few feet away from her. He didn't appear to be injured or angry at the moment which seemed like a good sign. She tried to sit up so that she could move towards him to make sure he stayed calm, but her foot was caught under a pile of debris.

"Romanoff?" Fury's concerned voice filled her ear.

She struggled to pull her leg free but it was no use. She was stuck. However, Natasha didn't feel any pain in her leg, which meant that she at least wasn't injured.

"We're okay." She assured the director, glancing at Bruce when she heard him grunt. Her heart nearly dropped to her stomach when she noticed a green tint in his skin. "We're okay, right?"

Banner began writhing on the floor as he tried to control himself. He was losing it.

"Doctor," She breathed anxiously as she tried to pull her leg free. "Bruce, you've gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants."

Suddenly, a couple of men ran around the corner and were about to run over to help her and Banner, but, no matter how much she wanted them to come and rescue her, Natasha knew they would only make things worse. So, she reluctantly waved them away and returned her attention to Bruce.

"Listen to me," She ordered the doctor. "You're going to be okay. I swear on my life, I will get you out of this. You will walk away and never-"

"Your life!?" Banner suddenly yelled in a voice that wasn't his own. He continued to grunt and groan as his body grew larger and his skin became greener.

"Bruce." Natasha whispered, watching in horror as he morphed into the enormous green beast he had tried so hard to suppress.

She tore her eyes away from Banner and started to yank on her leg desperately, exhaling in relief when she was able to pull herself free. She shoved herself to her feet and made a beeline for the exit, but froze when she saw that Bruce had completely transformed into the Hulk. He slowly turned around and glared at her, cueing Natasha to run.

The Hulk roared and ran after her as she dashed up the stairs and shot down the metal bridge before sliding under a large pipe to escape. She hid behind a large machine, listening as the sound of massive footsteps grew closer and closer. Natasha pulled her gun from its holster and cocked it before quietly moving out of her hiding spot to try and find a way out. She knew the gun would be completely useless against the Hulk, but it helped keep her calm.

Suddenly, a loud roar erupted to her right, causing her to jump out of her skin and fire her gun towards the sound. Natasha didn't wait to see if she'd actually hit anything. Instead, she dropped her gun and ran in the opposite direction. She could hear the Hulk behind her and glanced over her shoulder only to find that he was gaining on her.

A few moments later, something hit Natasha hard on her side and caused her to slam hard into a wall. She grunted at the sudden pain that she felt all over her body and tried to push herself into a sitting position. She looked up and gasped when she saw the Hulk towering over her with his hand raised, ready to smash her into oblivion.

Natasha closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, when all of the sudden the sound of something slamming into the monster in front of her forced her eyes back open. Relief flooded through her when she found that the Hulk was no longer standing in front of her. Her entire body was trembling like a leaf as she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She was so terrified right now that she could hardly move.

Natasha didn't know how long she'd been sitting there when she felt the ground beneath her tilting to one side.

"Sir, we've lost all power in engine one." A random agent told Fury over the comm. link.

"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the Detention Level. Does anybody copy?" Fury asked.

The mention of Clint was enough to pull Natasha out of her state of shock, especially when she realized that he was headed right for her.

"This is Agent Romanoff." She said as she pressed her finger to her comm. link. "I copy."

Picking herself up off the floor, Natasha began heading towards the detention level, hoping that it wasn't too late to save the man she loved.

* * *

Natasha watched as Clint struggled to get up after hitting his head against the railing of the bridge they were on. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and observed her partner slowly get on his knees and turn to face her.

"Natasha?" He said in recognition.

Natasha looked deep into his eyes and found that they were still an eerie light blue. Loki still had a hold on him. So, she did the only logical thing she could think of. She clenched her hand into a tight fist and threw her arm forward so that it collided with Clint's forehead. His body twisted around from the impact and he landed on his face, knocked out cold. Nevertheless, Natasha tapped him with her foot to make sure he was unconscious before kneeling down next to him and flipping him onto his back.

"This is Agent Romanoff," She said into her comm. link as she felt Clint's forehead for swelling. "If anyone copies, need a medical team on the Detention Level."

"I copy you, Agent Romanoff. A medical team has been dispatched." Someone answered her.

She sighed in relief and sat down on the floor next to Clint, watching over him until the medics arrived.

"What happened?" The first medic asked as they came running towards them a few minutes later.

"He hit his head." Natasha explained before moving out of their way.

"He doesn't appear to have a concussion." The second medic told her after shining a light in both of his eyes. "We should take him to the infirmary."

Without another word, the two men grabbed Clint by his arms and began to drag him away.

"Agent Coulson is down." Fury's voice suddenly appeared in her ear, stopping Natasha dead in her tracks.

"A medical team is on its way to your location." Someone informed the director.

"They're here." Fury said. "They called it."

"No." Natasha whispered. She angrily ripped her comm. link from her ear and threw it as hard as she could, trying to prevent any more tears from falling today. What she needed to do right now was focus on Clint, who was still very much alive. She could mourn her handler later.

Blocking out the fact that one of the only people she'd ever trusted was dead, Natasha turned in the direction the medics had taken Clint and took off towards the infirmary. When she reached the medical bay she began searching through the occupied rooms for her partner, stopping in front of the only room that had guards standing in front of it.

"Agent Romanoff." One of the guards greeted her.

"Am I allowed in?" She asked.

"He's still unconscious." The other guard informed her.

"That didn't answer my question." Natasha said in annoyance, trying _really_ hard not to lose her patience.

"Yes, you may go in." The first guard told her, stepping aside so that she could enter.

"Thanks." She growled as she shoved past them. "Why don't you two take a break?"

When Natasha entered the room she found Clint lying on a bed with his wrists strapped to the frame. She took a seat next to him and leaned over him, placing her hand on his cheek and stroking it with her thumb.

"Oh Clint," She sighed. "How come shit always happens to us?"

Suddenly, Clint's eyes fluttered open and Natasha yanked her hand away in surprise. She sat back in her chair and watched with concern as her partner began struggling against his restraints. Maybe she hadn't broken through Loki's mind control after…

"Clint," She said soothingly, "you're going to be alright."

"You know that?" He chuckled darkly. "Is that what you know?"

Natasha looked into his eyes, but she didn't see any signs of the eerie light blue that had once filled them. She got up to pour him a cup of water and heard him grunt as he laid his head back on the bed.

"I've got no window." He suddenly said. "I have to flush him out."

"You got to level out. It's gonna take time." She told him.

"You don't understand." Clint muttered. "Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and stuff something else in?" He paused for a long moment, causing Natasha to glance at him anxiously. "Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"

She froze at that last question, suppressing a shiver as memories of her past resurfaced in her mind.

"You know that I do." She said bluntly.

"Why am I back? How'd you get him out?" He asked.

"Cognitive recalibration." She said with a smirk as she went to sit on the side of Clint's bed. "I hit you really hard in the head."

"Thanks." He said sincerely.

She smiled at him before she began undoing his restraints, his eyes following her every move.

"Natasha…" He whispered. "How many agents did I-"

"Don't." She cut him off. "Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."

"Loki, did he get away?"

"Yeah. I don't suppose you know where."

"I didn't need to know. I didn't ask." He said ruefully.

Natasha sighed in disappointment and moved towards the door.

"He's going to make his play soon, though." Clint said, reaching for the water she had poured him. "Today."

"We got to stop him." She said with determination.

"Yeah? Who's 'we'?" He wondered.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Whoever's left."

"Well, if I put an arrow through Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better, I suppose."

Natasha smiled in relief and went to sit next to Clint.

"Now you sound like you."

"But you don't." He observed. "You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

"He didn't. I just…" She stuttered, not wanting him to see how weak the mere mention of Loki made her feel.

"Natasha." Clint whispered comfortingly.

"I've been compromised." She told him. "I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, neither of them knowing what to do next. Finally, Natasha turned to Clint and slapped him across the face.

"Ow!" He exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?"

"_That_ was for getting yourself fucking kidnapped!" She said angrily.

"For Christ's sake, Nat, it's not like I _tried_ to get kidnapped!" He told her, rubbing his face.

"I thought I'd lost you." Natasha whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He cupped her face in his hands. "I'm so sorry."

Clint leaned forward and gently kissed her, smiling against her lips when he felt her wrap her arms around his neck. As soon as he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I'm going to go get myself cleaned up." He told her, kissing her one last time before getting up and entering the bathroom.

As soon as the door had closed behind him, Natasha got to her feet and began to pace as a million different things raced through her head. There were so many things Clint didn't know about, like Coulson's death and the fact that he was the father of two beautiful babies. What was she supposed to do? Did she tell him now? No, news like that would only distract him from the problem at hand. She'd wait and tell him. But what if they didn't survive whatever it was that was coming? She was _not_ about to let him die without knowing about Charlotte and Gavin. Natasha had come close enough to losing him when Loki had taken him, so she had to tell him now…

"Time to go." Steve Rogers suddenly appeared in the doorway of the infirmary room.

"Go where?" Natasha asked in confusion.

"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"

"I can." Clint said as he stepped out of the bathroom.

Steve glanced at Natasha skeptically, but she gave him an assuring nod.

"You got a suit?" He asked him.

"Yeah." Clint replied.

"Then suit up."

* * *

**Wow that was long! Sorry again that this took a whole week! I'm trying to finish this story up before school starts, so if my predictions are correct, there should be two more chapters before this story ends (maybe three, it depends). I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can, if I can get some of my AP homework done… Well, until then, TTFN!**

**PLEASE READ!**

**I asked you guys to vote for a story title last chapter, and the titles that were voted for are as follows:  
-Fugue  
-Forever and Always  
-Shattered  
-Reunion  
-Hush  
-Oblivion**

**Shattered and Oblivion were the titles with the most votes last time, but the others were also voted for. Please vote again if you like and I'll see which ones get the most votes and narrow the list down again for you guys to pick from next time. After that, I will announce which story I will be writing next! Thanks again for your help!**


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